Tales from La Broad

It is poetic justice that I get invited to write for the 30th-anniversary edition of PBN, since the existence of the paper corresponds to the duration of my Rhode Island adventure.

As a young new obstetrician I had to drive from Warwick Neck to Women and Infants hospital at 3 a.m., through Broad Street and Prairie Avenue. I will never forget the warning I received from a colleague when he discovered my driving route. “You shouldn’t drive on Broad Street; it is dangerous.”

It was obvious to me that this street had seen better days, but its old synagogue and glorious churches alerted me to the fact that sometime in the not-too-distant past driving through Broad Street was exactly what you wanted to do.

A majestic theater, the way to Roger Williams Park, St Joseph’s Hospital, the Steere House, and even the cemetery were evidence of a thriving, vibrant and prosperous past. In 1986 this once-gateway to Providence was the definition of urban blight. Who could believe that this neighborhood would ever come back? Like at other times in history the answer is, through immigrants.

- Advertisement -

Providence saw Latino-owned businesses grow from 731 in 1997 to 2,999 in 2007, the fastest growth in New England. La Broad was buzzing once again. This continued story is told by the buildings and structures that once welcomed Irish, Italian, Jewish, Armenian, Polish, Cape Verdean, French Canadian and many other flavors of immigrants. Their cultures can be seen on the walls of these structures like faded tattoos that today are covered by signs in Spanish and paint of a different color. Hope, the state’s motto, has always been the guiding principle of all the different peoples who have made Rhode Island home by choice, not by birth. But is hope enough?

The circumstances that favored physical labor and allowed people to prosper regardless of literacy have changed dramatically. Our economy has seen low-skill manufacturing give way to automation. Workers have seen their jobs migrating to lower-labor cost countries. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the newly arrived to find family-supporting jobs if they do not have the skills that were not necessary 75 years ago, when others landed here.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, during the third quarter of 2014 unemployment for Latinos was 20.3 percent compared with 7.6 percent for the general population. That was the highest rate in the nation.

As the economy transforms, Latinos and African immigrants who are the most recently arrived are challenged by a lack of opportunity and by an educational system that is not preparing them to fill the jobs of today. And certainly it is not preparing their children for the jobs of the future. The state’s Latino-white achievement gap for children is the worst in the country.

As a result, our local businesses will not find the workforce necessary to thrive and grow in a hypercompetitive global economy. The chain of success in which immigrant children did better than their parents is broken, and for the first time in history, second generations may experience worst outcomes as a result. But only if we allow it.

Great results are being achieved by schools that are supported by their communities. Public, charters and private educational institutions that have refused to accept failure and that have been able to marshal the resources of business, philanthropy and community involvement, have wiped out the gaps and equalized opportunity for thousands.

The role of business in this effort is crucial. By volunteering, mentoring, educating, financing, and most importantly by influencing public policy, we will make the education of all of our children mission critical. So that one day I can tell a colleague “Hey, have you been through La Broad lately?” •

Dr. Pablo Rodriguez is the CEO of Women’s Care and Latino Public Radio.

No posts to display