Ed Lopez was born in Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican mother and Guatemalan father. He was first Republican candidate for Rhode Island Secretary of State and ran against incumbent Secretary of State James Langevin in 1998
Nellie M. Gorbea ran for governor in 2021 and has served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island since January 2015. Gorbea is the first Puerto Rican Latina to win statewide office in New England.
Pablo Rodríguez of Puerto Rican heritage was the Medical Director at Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island and a practicing physician at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, RI. He went into private practice until his retirement in 2018. He was also a co-founder of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee (RILPAC).
Antillas Restaurant, Caribbean Cuisine, was opened by Roberto González and Michael Reyes in 1979. They served food from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It closed in 1982.
Nellie Gorbea reflected on the 2016 election and the work she did for the 2020 election. Nominated secretary of state of Rhode Island in 2015, she was the first Hispanic person to win a statewide office in New England.
The Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce was formed in order to bring together the power of the many Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses in Rhode Island.
Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, who migrated from Puerto Rico, was the medical director at Planned Parenthood in Rhode Island and discussed his experience as a medical professional who performs abortions.
This special edition celebrated the 350th anniversary of Rhode Island by telling its history through the story of its immigrants, including Alido Baldera who immigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1971 and is featured in part nine of this piece.
