The story of the Cape Verdeans of Fox Point embrace fundamental questions of the connections between community, language, culture, and art and identifies the challenges inherent in preserving the memory, history and culture of the displaced in the voices of the people who experienced displacement. The story has wider significance in the context of today's society, where climactic shifts and natural disasters, wars, global industrial expansion and economic turmoil have resulted in whole communities being displaced all over the globe. The worldwide Cape Verdean population is one of the oldest Diasporas with international, historical significance. This fact is attributed to the place of the archipelago in the history of the transatlantic slave trade of the fifteenth century which made possible some of the most important geographical discoveries and socio-economic developments of the modern world. Beginning in this era, and indeed from the very start of the islands' existence, migration and emigration were inextricably intertwined with Cape Verdean society and people. Thus the Cape Verdean people inherently qualify as a Diaspora, with arguably the most important communities being located in the United States. The Fox Point, Rhode Island community—as the second oldest enclave in the US and therefore in the Cape Verdean Diaspora overall—is exceptional among all of these. It serves as a unique "bridge" between the old and the new worlds, with multigenerational families intact allowing for historical and cultural preservation. And due to its history of displacement (through urban expansion/renewal), study of Fox Point also affords critical engagement with some of the most important political, economic, and sociological events/factors that have affected Cape Verdeans in the Diaspora throughout their past.
Dr. Aminah Pilgrim
Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
University of Massachusetts, Boston
