R.I. Foundation awards $300K fellowship to multi-cultural tourism advocate

THIS YEAR'S recipient of a Rhode Island Foundation innovation fellowship is Raymond “Two Hawks” Watson, an advocate of multi-cultural tourism. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
THIS YEAR'S recipient of a Rhode Island Foundation innovation fellowship is Raymond “Two Hawks” Watson, an advocate of multi-cultural tourism. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation announced Wednesday that Raymond “Two Hawks” Watson, an advocate of multi-cultural tourism, received the organization’s $300,000 Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship this year.

Watson, who was “overwhelmed and grateful,” when he heard the news said: “The funds from the Rhode Island Foundation are giving me the support and resources I need to do what I am passionate about and am already attempting in Providence.”

Watson was chosen for his proposal of the Providence Cultural Equity Initiative, which will push for further economic development in the tourism industry by capitalizing on Rhode Island’s multi-cultural heritage and history.

A native of the Fox Point and Mount Hope neighborhoods of Providence, Watson, the first Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship recipient of color, was chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants. The Fellowship, now in its fifth year, is made possible by philanthropists Letitia and John Carter.

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Over the next three years, Watson will receive $300,000 to create a campaign that focuses on diversifying Rhode Island’s tourism industry and improving cultural cohesion in the state.

“It is an untapped resource for drawing more and more diverse tourism to Rhode Island, which combined with Providence’s world-class artistic reputation and standing, will serve as an economic stimulant for the state’s economy,” Watson said.

The current tourism industry, Watson said, overlooks the power of multi-culturalism in drawing further societal and tourism potential to Rhode Island.

“The goal is to cohesively and sustainably solidify greater Providence as the cultural heritage capitol of the Northeast,” he added.

Rhode Island Foundation president and CEO Neil D. Steinberg believes Watson’s work will emphasize one of the fellowship’s core strategies, employing Rhode Islanders to solve the state’s pressing issues.

“Ray has an impressive strategy for creating change and addressing the challenges our state faces by focusing on our greatest natural resource – our people,” Steinberg said.

Cultural tourism is not just a campaign to diversify the type of landmarks visited by tourists, it also carries a significant economic impact for those cities choosing to embrace the idea. Accounting for 78 percent of all domestic tourism, 118 million people, cultural tourists spend $192 billion annually, on average, 36 percent more than other types of travelers.

Five finalists, in addition to Watson, were recognized for the potential of their proposals.

  • Matthew Ferraro, of East Providence, proposed creating the Rhode Island Musicians and Artists Creativity Center, a recording studio and computer lab that would offer free services to musicians, filmmakers, composers and designers.
  • Melissa Jenkins, of Cranston, suggested creating an educational program to increase the number of health care professionals who could be licensed to prescribe medications for behavioral health disorders.
  • Dorothy Jungels, of Providence, proposed a program that brought police and youth together to develop scenario-based role-plays to be used both in the police training academy and in schools to teach emotional intelligence and provide tools that deescalate conflicts that arise between these two groups.
  • Scott Kiekbusch, of Warwick, proposed Project Codebase, which would train women from low-income communities in computer programming.
  • Paul Waxman, of North Kingstown, suggested creating an advertising and design agency staffed totally by a wide mix of college interns that would help small businesses and start-ups grow by providing practical low-cost, low-risk marketing services.

Watson, as well as the finalists, were chosen by a seven-member panel chaired by Steinberg.

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