Adriana Dawson served as the first female State Director for the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center. She is currently the Director of Community Engagement for Verizon.
James Diossa ran and won the Rhode Island General Treasurer in 2022. He served as a member of the city council and as mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island (2013-2021). He was born in the U.S. to Colombian immigrants.
Sandra Cano served on the the City of Pawtucket school committee in 2012 and was the first Latina ever elected in the whole city; she was then elected as the first Latina Pawtucket City Councilor in November of 2014 and reelected in 2016. Sandra won a special election for Senate District 8 in April of 2017.
This building is referred to as Casa Grande by Colombians in Rhode Island. It was used as a social meeting place for countless Colombians in the Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island. The Colombian-American Society was founded in this location. It is where Colombians lived in the 1970s and 80s while working at Pontiac and Cadillac Mills, which were directly adjacent to this location.
She was the first female Executive Director of Progreso Latino and the first Latina to hold a cabinet-level position in Rhode Island as Director of the Dept. of Children, Youth and Families under Governor Don Carcieri
Patricia Martinez was the first female director of Progreso Latino, the first Latino employee at the Rhode Island Foundation, and the first Latina to ever hold a cabinet-level position in Rhode Island. She later transitioned to working on a turnaround team in the Central Falls School District.
Stella Carrera, coordinator of Immigration and Refugee Services for the Roman Catholic Diocese in Providence, supported immigrants who just migrated to the United States.
Woodhall Weaving Mills Inc. closed and workers such as the manager Joseph "Jay" Giuttari, Maria Papa, Jose Lopes, and Raymond A. Filippone reacted to the closing.
The Hispanic community in Rhode Island began to leave Catholicism and join other religions such as the Pentecostal church, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Baptist church, etc.
Don Pedro Cano (right) was one of the early Colombians to immigrate to Rhode Island. He came to work at the Lyon Fabrics textile mill in Central Falls. This photo was taken during an event celebrating contributions of Rhode Island Latino Pioneers.
