In the 1990s, leaders and neighbors—primarily of Guatemalan, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican descent—began gathering at a local church in one of Rhode Island’s most marginalized barrios. They created a forum to confront the injustices forcing displacement in their community: the loss of local jobs, rising housing prices, and a cultural war against immigrants and people of color of all ages.
From these grassroots efforts, the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) emerged as a vehicle for community defense, direct action, and leadership development. Over the years, ONA has expanded beyond crisis response to build long-term power through organizing the residents of this neighborhood and beyond. The association has launched literacy and digital skills programs that center the lived experiences of its members, ensuring that education is a tool for economic and political empowerment.
ONA remains rooted in the principles of popular education, collective power and action. Today, it continues to fight displacement, advocate for dignified housing, and equip residents with the tools to shape their own futures.
