March 2023 | Page 56

RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY • 35 YEARS

I f you feel like a full decade has already passed since January 2020 , you ’ re not alone . The 2020s ushered in a global pandemic , changing life in Little Rhody as we know it , canceling events and forcing our favorite traditions online . Rhode Islanders adapted , leaning on each other in their period of need and finding comfort in reminiscing about old times . As we look to the future , the state has also reckoned with its past and prepared for new projects and changes ahead . So raise a glass to the 2020s — here ’ s hoping they roll out a little smoother than how they arrived .

October 2022 : Hocus Pocus mania descended on Little Rhody with the release of Hocus Pocus 2 on Sept . 30 . We talked with local folks who helped bring the film — much of which was shot in the state — to life .

The

May / June 2020 : In the depths of the pandemic , and at Governor Gina Raimondo ’ s request , RISD alumnus Shepard Fairey created the R . I . Angel of Hope and Strength to inspire Rhode Islanders through difficult times . The image adorned the side of the RISD Auditorium , social media accounts — and the cover of Rhode Island Monthly . The issue also included a keepsake poster sponsored by National Grid to recognize the efforts of health care professionals and essential workers throughout the state .

May / June 2020 : “ The Way Things Used to Be ” Eight Rhode Islanders between the ages of eighty-three and 108 reflected on life and what brought them to Little Rhody .

July 2020 : Snapshot

An estimated 10,000 people gathered on the State House lawn to protest systemic racism and police brutality toward Black people during a Protect Black Lives protest on

June 5 , 2020 .

December 2020 : “ A Christmas Carol Online ” Of all the canceled events , nothing hit home more than when the beloved holiday tradition of seeing A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep went on hiatus . For the first time in its forty-six-year history , the show moved online , remaking the timeless tale of Scrooge for the Zoom era . Thankfully , the show returned in person the following year .

Snapshot : Protect Black Lives Protest

( PHOTOGRAPH BY WOLF MATTHEWSON )

2020s

96 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JULY 2020

It ’ d been raining and dark all afternoon but , by the evening of June 5 , when protesters shouted out the names of slaughtered black Americans — “ George Floyd ! Breonna Taylor ! Ahmaud Arbery ! Say their names !” — the sky above Providence had cleared to receive them . An estimated 10,000 people assembled on the State House lawn that night , following marches from Kennedy Plaza and Central High School , to protest systemic racism and police brutality toward black people . It was the second such protest in the capital city that week — a massive grassroots action organized by local youth and , by some estimates , the largest demonstration in Rhode Island ’ s history . — CASEY NILSSON

54 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MARCH 2023