"Creative Survival" examines black life in Providence from 1776 to 1865. Between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, blacks in Rhode Island moved from slavery to freedom, and Providence changed from a seaport town to an industrial city. These were pivotal years for the city's black population. Blacks fought for freedom and the opportunity to compete fairly with white Rhode Islanders.

"Creative Survival" is the story of the black community's strength which enabled it to survive, lay claim to it's rights, and eventually to thrive.

The history of blacks in Rhode Island begins in the late 17th century. Although the precise date when blacks first arrived in the colony is difficult to determine, there were free as well as enslaved Africans in Rhode Island in the mid - 1600’s. This exhibit examines one period of the three hundred years of black life in Rhode Island.