The head of Rhode Island’s diversity office will be the state’s second historian laureate.
Keith Stokes will take over the voluntary role of delivering lectures about Rhode Island’s past at special events and formal ceremonies, Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore announced Tuesday.
The state established the position in 2012. State law specifies that the historian laureate serves a five-year term. Stokes, a Newport resident, will serve through April 30, 2030.
Stokes will make his first appearance as historian laureate at the Rhode Island Independence Day event at the Rhode Island State House on Saturday, May 3. He said he was honored and humbled to be the state’s historian laureate.
“I am profoundly honored to be appointed as Rhode Island’s Historian Laureate,” Stokes wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “Historical interpretation has long served as a beacon of guidance, particularly during times of social, economic, and cultural transformation. My mission is to illuminate Rhode Island and America’s past in a way that inspires us all, nurturing a collective sense of identity and purpose.”
Stokes was chosen from a field of eight candidates who applied for the position after Patrick Conley, the first and only person to have been historian laureate, chose not to seek reappointment earlier this year.
Other applicants included Steve Frias, a former Rhode Island Republican National Committeeman and member of the RI250 Commission; Allison Horrocks, a park ranger at the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park in Pawtucket who is also a podcast host and author; David Kohnen and associate professor at the. U.S. Naval War College in Newport; Scott Molloy, a former professor of labor and industrial relations at the University of Rhode Island; Michael Simpson, an adjunct professor at Johnson & Wales University who runs Hidden History Tours of Rhode Island as well as the On This Day in Rhode Island History account on X; Maureen Taylor, a genealogist and nationally-renowened photo detective; and Catherine Zipf, executive director of the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society.
The Secretary of State’s announcement highlighted Stokes’ “passion for historical research” drawn from his African, Jewish, and Caribbean family roots. Stokes has appeared on C-SPAN, Fox’s Legends & Lies, and TED Talks.
He serves as a consulting historian for the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, was former state advisor for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also serves on the RI250 Commission.
Stokes was the lead researcher and author of the 2024 publication “A Matter of Truth,” which examined and documented the role of the state and city of Providence in supporting a “separate and unequal” existence for people of color.
Stokes holds a master’s degree in social policy administration from the University of Chicago. Last May, he was named as the new associate director of the Rhode Island Department of Administration’s Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
“Ensuring that Rhode Islanders learn about and continue to pass on our state’s history is one of my top priorities as Secretary of State,” Amore, a former history teacher, said in a statement. “I am confident that Keith’s rich background and breadth of experience in historical research, storytelling, and education will continue to be an incredible asset to our state in this role.”
From 2010 to 2012, Stokes served as the head of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation – now Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. His tenure there occurred during the ill-fated 38 Studios deal that left the state on the hook for a $78 million loan guarantee after the company folded two years after relocating to the state. Stokes also served 15 years as executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce.
Stokes was named director of economic development for the city of Providence in October 2021 and served for over a year until Mayor Brett Smiley took office.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
