- [Pamela] Tonight, the push is on to build a state archive.

What priceless treasures of our heritage could be displayed inside.

- I'm getting tingles now talking about it and I'm not embarrassed by that.

- [Michelle] Then making history in Rhode Island and defying what it means to be 100.

- I'm so lucky because people my age are stuck in nursing homes, but yet I still have people around me.

- [Michelle] And after RIDOT Director Peter Alviti is grilled by state lawmakers, Ted Nesi dives into the questions that remain unanswered.

(bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music) - Good evening Welcome to "Rhode Island PBS Weekly", I'm Pamela Watts.

- And I'm Michelle San Miguel.

We begin tonight with a journey to our past.

- As one of the original 13 colonies, Rhode Island is home to some of the most famous and treasured pieces of history.

However, some state leaders believe that tangible history needs a new address.

Right now, priceless documents and artifacts sit in a rented building.

We take you inside the vault to see what is on the line when it comes to preserving our past.

- [Ashley] It's one of those remarkable things that people underestimate until they see it, and then they always have a response.

- [Pamela] State archivist, Ashley Selima, says it's often an emotional response to seeing close up one of the original copies of the Bill of Rights guaranteeing freedom.

- They can't believe that it exists, let alone that the littlest state in the union has it.

- [Pamela] The littlest state in the union holds history that's a big part of the national story.

There's row after row of scroll documents, maps and boxes of records dating back to 1638.

They are testament to our role in the founding of America and beyond, such as a moon rock and our state flag flown on the moon by the Apollo 17 mission.

- There's so much about this job that intrigues me, but more than anything, this job is fantastic because I learn every day.

I learn new things about Rhode Island history.

- What is it like for you to actually see and touch some of these rare items?

- It never gets old, but it causes me to move very slowly.

You always wanna be really careful.

- [Pamela] These fragile rare relics of history are kept in a climate controlled vault in a rented office that looks more like a storage room.

It's the repository of well over 10 million items, some unusual, like this World War I fundraising poster promoted by seven women's organizations.

- One of the more, I guess, interesting and fun facts about this poster and this collection of posters is there's several of these that are also on display at Arlington National Cemetery.

So we know we at least have one record in common with some of the federal record keepers as well.

- [Pamela] Other unexpected items, vintage voting machines and patents for local inventions like a coffee urn and this washboard, they all reside in the same place as a seminal moment of statehood, small as your thumbnail, our emblem is first mentioned in this pre-revolutionary report.

- It is ordered that the seal of the province shall be an anchor and then they doodled it over on the side.

- [Pamela] So that's the first moment that we found out what our symbol of hope would look like?

- Yep, that was the first iteration.

I think one thing people don't understand is a government record is far more complex, it's not just like a memo in a box.

It can include correspondence, it can include maps, so helping Rhode Islanders see the story connected from all those different things, that's part of my day to day.

- [Pamela] Selima also uncovers little known facts about Rhode Island in her archival research.

Recently, the dark day that shook the State was a record Selima discovered while coordinating an exhibit on wild weather.

- It was in the early 1700s, and it was an event where the sun rose and then all of a sudden before noon, the day became completely dark.

And many people at that time, they were very religious and they thought it might be the end of days.

And scientists and historians believe now that it was probably actually the effect of wildfires in Canada like we saw last year.

- [Pamela] Years of census data, genealogy and military records are available here, and you can read this letter from Rhode Island colonists informing the King, they were breaking ties with England.

- That's why everybody really loves this document, and it really talks about Rhode Island being a forerunner in so many things.

- [Pamela] So while Rhode Island was first to renounce the Crown, State leaders say we are the last in New England to construct a building to house our historic documents.

That's something the governor wants to change.

In his State of the State address, he proposed an archive and cultural center.

- A place to display our founding documents and important treasures.

- [Pamela] Secretary of State, Greg Amore, applauds the idea.

His office oversees the archival materials.

- One of the cool things that the tours all like is the story of the chandelier, because the chandelier is the first public building in America that has electricity.

- [Pamela] Amore is also a history buff and former high school civics teacher.

He says The new center will be important for education as well as preservation.

Amore points out items at the State House such as this full length painting of George Washington by famed Rhode Island portrait artist, Gilbert Stuart, need a better showcase.

- Today, this is worth in excess of $10 million and we're concerned about this.

This is not a temperature controlled room.

The light changes from time to time, and so we would like to preserve this in a space that is correct.

- [Pamela] Amore says a new archive could prove to be an economic boost as a tourist destination, and more importantly, as a legacy for future generations.

- We have a responsibility to preserve these treasures.

Some of them are incredibly unique.

We have 64 letters from George Washington to the General Assembly and to the governor.

Incredible.

We have a telegram from Abraham Lincoln asking for troops to support the union in the Civil War.

- [Pamela] Amore adds, since Rhode Island was one of the original 13 colonies, we have a treasure beyond measure.

This copy of the Declaration of Independence with John Hancock's bold signature.

- I'm getting tingles now talking about it and I'm not embarrassed by that.

I think we should all feel that way about our history and feel that way about the unique aspects of Rhode Island history.

- And Amore thinks people do, judging by the numbers that turned out recently to see the Independent Man when he came off the State House dome for refurbishing.

Initial plans would be to build a cultural center possibly across the street from the State House at an estimated cost of a little over $100 million.

Some people are saying a $100 million is a lot of money given all of the needs of the state in various areas.

So how do you justify this?

- There are competing interests and there are legitimate competing interests, and I understand that.

What I want people to understand is we're either going to abandon our commitment to preserve these documents and celebrate and tell the story of Rhode Island, the entire story, or we're not.

And we're already paying for that.

- [Pamela] The state pays $300,000 a year for the current storage space.

A lot will have to happen to move all this to a permanent home.

Legislators have to agree to put a $60 million bond issue on the November ballot and voters would have to approve it.

Yet, in spite of all the obstacles, Amore believes that preserving our history is not just for the past but for the future.

And he's inspired by a young Illinois lawyer from the 1800s.

- Abraham Lincoln gave a really unknown speech when he was a young Illinois state legislator, it's called the Lyceum Speech.

And he talks about political violence and mobocracy overtaking our political institutions, really prescient.

He was talking about the fear that in the future we would be the cause of our own demise.

It would be internal decay that caused our demise.

And he said, the only antidote is civic education.

The only antidote is to immerse yourselves in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, talk about what those values are and what they mean.

- Now, if voters approve a bond for an archive and cultural center, 10 million will come from capital project funding, the rest from federal funds and private donations.

And Secretary Amore says groundbreaking could begin in 2026 coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

- And up next, in celebration of Black History Month, we're spotlighting a Rhode Island woman who embodies what it means to live a life of service, even when her service wasn't always welcome.

(soft piano music) At the age of 100, Bennie Fleming knows by heart all the notes to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

(soft piano music) A song that much like her own life story embodies hope.

But the life that Fleming has created for herself in Providence is one she says she never could have imagined as a child.

- That's a family home in San Antonio, Texas, which was just sold four years ago.

- [Michelle] Growing up in south Texas, Fleming dreamed of being a nurse, but she learned it wouldn't be an easy path for a Black woman.

- There were no hospitals in San Antonio that would hire a nurse, a Black nurse.

The only thing I could do was private duty, and that was very expensive.

And you're doing private duty for Black patients, so you know, you didn't have a lot of people who could afford a private nurse.

- [Michelle] It was 1945, the United States was engulfed in World War II.

- [Reporter] Noble women doing a hard job in serving their country in time of need.

- [Michelle] Fleming's friend had joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps and she decided she wanted to do the same.

- I got on the phone and called the Red Cross and said I wanted to volunteer.

And of course, that's how I got into the service.

- [Michelle] Fleming was 21 when she enlisted in the army as a second Lieutenant.

At the time, the armed services were still segregated.

- You lived in a Black dorm while the nurses lived in a white dorm.

You were separated that way.

The Officer's Club was not open to you.

- [Michelle] When she was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, she met the man who would become her husband, Lieutenant Theodore Fleming, a doctor in the army.

The two went on to witness an historic moment.

In 1948, President Harry Truman signed an executive order banning segregation in the military.

- There shall be equality of treatment and opportunities for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, creed or color.

- Is there one story or something that sticks out to you from that time?

- I don't talk about it too much because I had a chance to see both sides.

- [Michelle] She's referring to her time caring for German POWs at a camp in Arizona, a far different assignment from tending to wounded American soldiers.

- Our boys were coming back from World War II and they were coming back emaciated, they were broken, they had been wounded.

I had these feelings, how could you treat ours so badly when we are treating yours so grandly?

- [Michelle] Nearly 80 years have passed since Fleming served in the army.

Still, she remains physically active.

She enjoys walking through Providence, the city she's called home since 1946.

She admits getting used to the weather took some time.

- I came on July 5th.

I left, San Antonio was 103 degrees, I got here the next day, I almost froze to death.

- What was it?

- I guess it was maybe 70 or 60, I said that normally that, you know, in the summertime.

Oh, I was cold.

The whole summer was cold.

- [Michelle] Several years after moving to Rhode Island, Fleming took a job working full-time at Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing.

But after two years- - Somebody came into my husband's office and said, "I see you've got your wife working."

That was it, I had to quit.

- Because?

Your husband did not want you working?

- No, he wasn't too happy about it anyway.

My husband is just so, well, he was of that era.

That's my daughter, Jackie.

My son, Theodore.

- [Michelle] Fleming became a stay at home mother for a few years, raising her two children and then made a career change.

- I decided, well, maybe if I went into public education, maybe that would help because I would be out the same time that my kids would be out.

- We are so grateful that you were here and were so honored to be in your presence.

- [Michelle] The Providence City Council recently honored her service to the community, which includes 41 years as an educator in the Providence School District.

(audience applauding) She took on various roles from teaching to overseeing the district science curriculum.

Fleming also made history as the first Black nurse to teach at Rhode Island Hospital.

Service, she says, is in her blood.

- I was taught that you give something back.

- [Michelle] She comes from a long line of family members who've served both in the military and in government.

Her nephew, Ron Kirk, was the mayor of Dallas and the United States trade representative under then President Barack Obama.

Fleming remembers her nephew introducing her to the Obama's while at Martha's Vineyard.

- He insisted on getting my dinner, I didn't have to do anything.

- [Michelle] She also sat on numerous boards from Planned Parenthood of Southern New England to Miriam Hospital.

- I was a trustee for 18 years, that's a long time.

And then I became a Life Governor.

- [Michelle] Fleming remains sharp and mobile at 100.

She still drives and appreciates having the freedom to move around.

She goes for a two mile walk in Providence three times a week down from five days per doctor's orders.

- Because I've been saying I was gonna go to The Good Feet Store and see if they had something that would help with my balance.

- Right - [Michelle] On this day, two friends join her for a stroll down Blackstone Boulevard.

- I was so fortunate, he took me right away and you know, he's a specialized trauma surgeon.

- Oh.

- [Michelle] She lives with her 75-year old son and she credits him with being able to maintain a high quality of life.

- I'm so lucky because people my age are stuck in nursing homes.

Nobody to see them, nobody to do anything for them, but yet I still have people around me and I have young people around me.

- As you reflect on your life, the people you've met, the experiences that you've had, what is the most important lesson you think that you've learned?

- You have to be kind.

I try not to hurt people's feelings.

And I know my kids don't think that, (laughs) and I try not to get into people's business.

(soft piano music) - [Michelle] Instead of meddling in the lives of others, she says she remains focused on enjoying her own.

- At this stage in my life, happiness is all I'm looking for.

You know, tragedy comes, you can't help that.

But fortunately, thank God we've been spared something like that.

(soft piano music) - At the start of World War II, African American women were denied the right to serve in the Army Nurse Corps.

That changed in 1941 after Black civil rights organizations and the Black Press pressured them to admit Black nurses.

Now we turn to tonight's episode of Weekly Insight.

WPRI 12's politics editor, Ted Nesi, and I talk about Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti taking the hot seat before state lawmakers over the closure of the Washington Bridge.

Ted, welcome back.

State lawmakers recently questioned RIDOT Director Peter Alviti over the closing of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge.

This was during a joint Senate and House Oversight Committee hearing at the State House.

And look, this hearing lasted almost four hours and yet I think the public and lawmakers were still left with a lot of questions surrounding the closure of the bridge.

- Absolutely, Michelle, I mean, over and over when RIDOT Director Alviti was asked about, you know, when should they have known that the bridge was in such a state of disrepair or who dropped the ball or will the bridge need to be rebuilt?

He said, we're waiting for those reports.

We're waiting for those reports.

There's a forensic analysis that's been commissioned on how long the bridge has really been in trouble.

There are the engineering reports on whether the bridge can be saved and what has to happen if not.

So until those reports are done, I think a lot of those questions are gonna remain unanswered.

We should start to see those come out the end of this month or early March.

- There were some interesting exchanges during the hearing.

Senate Oversight Committee Chairman, Mark McKenney, talked about how before the bridge was even shut down, RIDOT was investing $78 million in rehabilitating the bridge's deck.

It's noteworthy, that project did not include work on the rods, which we now know, of course, led to the shutdown of the bridge back in December.

Let's take a listen to that conversation between McKenney and Alviti.

- I'm just trying to figure out with a bridge that, as you noted, is at the end of its useful life, almost 60 years old- - [Peter] Yeah.

- We're spending a huge amount on that contract which is, as you said, to look at the deck primarily.

- [Peter] Yeah.

- Why wouldn't they at least look at what's below the deck and look at those rods?

- That in fact, was the basis on which the decision was made to do the deck was that the rest of the structure would have lived the similar time period that the new deck that they were placing on it.

- I'm still having a tough time figuring out why they wouldn't- - We know now that, well, we're trying to figure out, because we know now that that was wrong, right?

- Ted, I think that the point that McKenney raised was shared by several committee members which is, look, are these inspections that RIDOT employees are doing, are they thorough enough to assess the quality of the state's bridges?

- Right, because again, as McKenney says and as you said, they knew this bridge had a lot of problems.

That's why they were spending $78 million to redo the deck, the part people drive on but they weren't touching anything underneath.

And when McKenney said, "Well, why not?"

Alviti said, "Well, we trust the companies "we hired to inspect the bridge.

"And they didn't raise any issues about these rods."

- Even though that's where the problem is.

- Exactly, they just didn't find anything.

And I think that goes to the core of the concern lawmakers have.

No one disputes that the bridge with these problems needed to close but are they inspecting these bridges thoroughly enough to then make $78 million investment decisions because they thought those rods were gonna last another 25 years and they're already broken now.

- Right, there was a term that kept getting thrown out that was surprising, at least for me, as it relates to bridges, pigeon debris.

Why are we talking about pigeon debris as it relates to bridges?

- Yes, so when they put out the inspection reports for the Washington Bridge, the one from last July, which was the last routine inspection, the inspector said they couldn't look at all of the bridge's components because there was too much pigeon debris in the way.

Again, lawmakers said, "Well," you know, they understood that that can be dangerous to inspectors, but why isn't there a plan to get that out of the way so they can do a more thorough inspection rather than just say, "We can't look at it."

Again, Alviti acknowledged, yes, they're concerned about that and they're gonna look to maybe revamp, change the inspection process now.

So that was another thing I think that lawmakers were a little worried about as they looked under the hood.

- And ultimately, Alviti remains in the spotlight.

He's been at the helm of RIDOT since 2015.

I think for people who know him, they were probably surprised that he got emotional toward the end of the hearing.

Let's take a listen.

- When I wake up every day and I go to sleep every night, that's all that's on my mind.

- Ted, despite all the questions that were thrown at Alviti, for now at least, it seems that he still very much has the confidence of Governor Dan McKee.

- It does, Michelle.

You know, Alviti, of course, the governor has expressed some concerns about how he and RIDOT have handled this but overall, there's no sign yet at the moment that the governor is moving on from Alviti.

And I think a lot of it comes down to what we talked about at the beginning.

All those reports that we expect to start coming out about what went wrong with the bridge starting in late February, early March.

If they show serious failures at RIDOT, I do think the heat will turn up on Alviti but if it turns out this was just a very strange situation, perhaps he can survive and continue.

- Thank you very much, Ted.

Appreciate it.

- [Ted] Good to be here.

- The deadly shooting at the Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City has renewed the debate about gun control nationwide.

Here in Rhode Island, the General Assembly continues to push for an assault weapons ban.

As both sides gear up for the fight ahead, we preview a story from contributor Dorothy Dickey that will air next week that sheds light on this heated issue.

- In the last set of data we got from 2021, there were no rifles used at all, let alone assault rifles, used in Rhode Island to commit a murder.

None, zero.

More people were killed with hands and feet in the state of Rhode Island in that year than with any sort of a rifle.

It's not going to have any impact on crime, which is the goal stated by the proponents.

- Rhode Island has the third lowest rate of gun deaths, which is terrific, but still over 50 people are dying per year from gun violence.

Still almost 200 people are wounded a year because of gun violence.

So even though we are one of the better states, we are still off the charts in terms of the number of people who are affected by gun violence, killed, wounded, traumatized.

We know that regulating assault weapons decreases gun violence, and also decreases the likelihood of mass shootings.

- That's our broadcast this evening.

I'm Michelle San Miguel.

- And I'm Pamela Watts.

We'll be back next week with another edition of "Rhode Island PBS Weekly".

Until then, please follow us on Facebook and X and visit us online to see all of our stories and past episodes at ripbs.org/weekly.

Or listen to our podcast on your favorite streaming platform.

Goodnight.

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