From the report's preamble, titled A Time to Correct a Historical Injustice, by Michael Van Leesten:
"The 17th century would bring enormous changes to the Western Hemisphere, commonly called the New World. European explorers and settlers would claim land for economic, sovereignty, political, and religious reasons, but the common bond between nearly all was the use of enslaved Africans as the chief labor force to clear land, build cities, and harvest the cash crops that would make men and communities wealthy beyond imagination. The settlement of Rhode Island would embody the greatest human irony where European settlers seeking religious freedom would simultaneously embrace human enslavement.
"By the end of the 18th century, Rhode Island would become the center of the African slave trade in British North America. One cannot truly comprehend the intricate ties that bound Rhode Island’s history of economic growth and prosperity with African enslavement. From the three dozen rum distilleries along 18th-century Newport, Bristol, and Providence waterfronts, to the “Negro Cloth” textile mills that dotted Rhode Island’s many rivers during the 19th century, Rhode Island’s very economic well-being has been historically tied to the enslavement and exploitation of African heritage people.
"Today, the state of African heritage people in Rhode Island still contains some complicated historic contradictions. While Rhode Island and society have made great progress in the areas of human rights and equality, far too many African heritage people in Rhode Island are still confined to segregated and substandard neighborhoods and face limited access to employment, education, and affordable healthcare opportunities.
"This report provides a data-driven basis for an action plan that intends to challenge and change public policies in the State of Rhode Island to redress the adverse socioeconomic past and present discrimination that has had a negative impact on Black families. Corrective action is an imperative for all."