This year’s Question 1 ballot proposition asked voters whether to amend the state’s constitution to change Rhode Island’s official name from “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” to simply “State of Rhode Island.” The measure would have changed the state's official name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "Rhode Island." Meet the 81-year-old living in a 22,000-square-foot NYC mansion rent-free, This 19-year-old is 2020's 'Most Beautiful' woman in the world, Accused ‘Soho Karen’ attacker in Keyon Harrold Jr. case is identified, Fans baffled by Cyndi Lauper's awkward New Year's Eve performance. STATE NAME CHANGE. “Some Rhode Islanders pride themselves on living in the ‘smallest state with the longest name.’ But, the history of how we got this name is often forgotten,” the petition reads. The seal of the State of Rhode Island adorns a lectern at a news conference where Gov. But change is brewing in the union’s smallest state, as Rhode Island Gov. 309,068, This story has been shared 202,648 times. The “plantations” portion has come under increased scrutiny following widespread protests after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Privacy Notice The order, Executive Order 20-48, will change the name to just “Rhode Island” in official communications from the governor’s office — including future executive orders, citations and letterhead. Our state’s official name is The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. But, the history of how we got this name is often forgotten. Voters agreed to strip the words “and Providence Plantations” from Rhode Island’s formal name, approving a statewide referendum that had been revived amid the nation’s reckoning with racial injustice. Rhode Island To Vote On Name Change Next week, Rhode Islanders will be voting on whether to change the name of their state. Gina Raimondo announced an executive order removing the phrase "Providence Plantations" from the state's name in official documents on Monday, June 22, 2020, in Providence. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Monday taking the “first steps” to change the state’s full name: “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”. Massachusetts Bay attempted to extend its authority over Providence Plantations and the settlements in Newport, Portsmouth, and Shawomet during the 1630s and 1640s. Raimondo is a Democrat, and Rhode Island GOP chairwoman Sue Cienki said the governor has to go to voters to change the state's formal name and seal. In 2010, the state's voters soundly rejected Question 1, which asked if the official name, "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," should be changed to simply "Rhode Island." This story has been shared 309,068 times. It also calls on all state executive agencies to remove “plantations” from their websites. But change is brewing in the union’s smallest state, as Rhode Island Gov. Sitemap This story has been shared 309,068 times. What’s in a name? The claim: Rhode Island changed its name to remove a racially insensitive phrase Rhode Island Gov. In recent examples of the word's use as a noun, Merriam-Webster on Tuesday cited stories about Nancy Green, a woman who was born into slavery and later went on to be the face of Aunt Jemima syrup, and the movie "Gone With the Wind," set on a Georgia plantation before and during the Civil War. In its most narrow definition, the word refers to a "group of plants and especially trees under cultivation" or "a settlement in a new country or region," according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary. A representative for Raimondo on Tuesday agreed that it would take voter action to take "plantation" out of formal state titles. We've received your submission. State Treasurer Seth Magaziner on Monday announced that his office "will remove the words 'and Providence Plantations' from the state's checks" and "from our letterhead, citations" and other correspondence. Thanks for contacting us. Successfully ending a campaign that began over 10 years ago, a referendum to remove “Providence Plantations” from the state name of Rhode Island passed on Tuesday with a vote of 52.9 percent approval, according to the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Officially, the tiniest state's name remains Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. June 24, 2020 / 11:44 AM / CBS News The state of Rhode Island is moving to change its official name — "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" — due … "We can't ignore how painful that is for Black Rhode Islanders to see that and have to see that as part of their state's name.". Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said. Your California Privacy Rights The recent push for a name change may have started when an online petition began circulating following Floyd’s death. The name dates to the 17th century, when the Puritan minister Roger Williams founded plantations on the Providence River that later became the colony — and then the state — of Rhode Island. The bill was introduced by Rhode Island’s sole black senator, Harold Metts. Voters approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday that strips part of what has long been the state's official name — "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." But change is brewing in the union’s smallest state, as Rhode Island Gov. Now the governor wants to change it. Terms of Use Critics say Rhode Island's official name of The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations evokes the legacy of slavery and have revived a campaign to change it. But the more recognized secondary interpretation of "plantation," as an "an agricultural estate usually worked by resident labor," has more disturbing overtones. But the governor jettisoned the latter phrase from state documents, with a vote on it likely to follow. 07/17) State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Probate Court Page 1 of 2 STATE OF RHODE ISLAND County of Estate of Alias PROBATE COURT OF THE City or Town of No. David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News. Gina Raimondo has issued an executive order stripping the word "plantation" — a loaded term associated with slavery — from official state documents and symbols. Formally named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since its accession to the Union in 1790, voters in the state approved an amendment in November 2020 to the state constitution, renaming itself the State of Rhode Island. The order does not change the state’s official name permanently — that will require voters to amend the Rhode Island Constitution, the order states. For the state of Rhode Island, years of acrimony over an official designation with connotations of slavery. Voting For Rhode Island recognizes that when Roger Williams named the area 'Providence Plantations' he did so without malice; however, as the state would go on to take a lead in the slave trade, the word 'Plantation' would eventually change into a very negative term." CNN projects Rhode Island voters have approved a measure that will strike "and Providence Plantations" from the state's name: "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." The addition of “and Providence Plantations” happened in 1644 after the colonial merger of Providence, Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick. Rhode Island has dropped “Providence Plantations” from its official state name, according to The Associated Press. PROVIDENCE – A majority of Rhode Islanders whose votes had been counted by shortly after midnight supported a proposal to remove “and Providence Plantations” from the … This story has been shared 202,648 times. ", "We can't ignore the image conjured by the word 'plantations,'" Raimondo told reporters Monday in announcing the order. "We can't ignore the image conjured by the word 'plantations,'" Gov. Some Rhode Islanders pride themselves on living in the “smallest state with the longest name”. IE 11 is not supported. Your Ad Choices "I certainly understand her sentiment for wanting to change it, but I don't agree with the way she went about it by doing it by executive order," Cienki told NBC affiliate WJAR in Providence. Rhode Island voters have approved a ballot measure to remove “plantations” from the state’s official name, reported The Associated Press. The people have spoken, and the state's full name – The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – will be shortened to remove language … Question 1 was introduced by Representatives Joseph Almeida (D), Anastasia Williams (D), and Grace Diaz (D) on February 4, 2009. “Whatever the meaning of the term ‘plantations’ in the context of Rhode Island’s history, it carries a horrific connotation when considering the tragic and racist history of our nation,” Metts said in a statement to the Providence Journal. With previous ballot initiatives and other legislative attempts to change the state name, some historians have noted that the word “plantation” attached to Rhode Island’s name isn’t a reference to large farms that depended on slave labor in the way the modern word is. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. In 2010, almost 78 percent of voters opposed a constitutional amendment removing “Providence Plantations” from the state’s name. 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