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What: Francophone and State Leaders Raise Francophonie Flag

 

When: Thursday, March 22, 3pm

 

Where: The State House, 82 Smith St., Providence, R.I.

 

R.I. Leaders & Francophone Organizations Raise Francophonie Flag

March 22 Event at State House Will Celebrate French Language and Culture

 

(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – The public and press are invited to join the League of Francophone Organizations of Rhode Island on Thursday, March 22, at the Rhode Island State House, as they gather with state and Francophone leaders to raise the Francophonie Flag and celebrate French language and culture in Rhode Island.

 

The event will begin at 3pm in the State Room for a short concert by the students of the French American School of R.I. and the singing of the French, Canadian, and American national anthems by the choir of Alliance Française of Providence.

 

This will be followed by a speaking program emceed by Roger Begin, Honorary Consul of France to Rhode Island. Speakers will include Lieutenant Governor Daniel McKee, members of the Rhode Island Legislature, Delegate of Québec in New England & Chair of the 2018 Francophonie Committee Marie-Claude Francoeur, Consul General of Canada David Alward, Consul of France Valéry Freland, Head of School for the French American School of Providence Christophe Bonnet, and President of the R.I. Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French Michael Hebert.

 

The program will conclude with a creative presentation on the French language by Hebert’s AP French students from Classical High School. A wine and cheese reception will immediately follow.

 

The events are presented by members of the League of Francophone Organizations of Rhode Island: Museum of Work & Culture (a division of the Rhode Island Historical Society), Alliance Française de Providence, Flickers: The Rhode Island International Film Festival, American Association of Teachers of French of Rhode Island, the French American School, and Club Aram Pothier.

 

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About the Museum of Work & Culture

The interactive and educational Museum of Work & Culture shares the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island’s mill towns in the late 19th- and 20th centuries. It recently received a Rhode Island Monthly Best of Rhode Island Award for its SensAbilities Saturdays all-ability program.

 

About the Rhode Island Historical Society

Founded in 1822, the RIHS, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island’s largest and oldest historical organization. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state’s most distinctive areas.