PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An effort to change Rhode Island’s formal name over slavery appears to have stalled for the moment in the Statehouse.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An effort to change Rhode Island’s formal name over slavery appears to have stalled for the moment in the Statehouse. Senate lawmakers were not planning to vote Tuesday afternoon on whether to permit a constitutional referendum next year allowing residents to decide whether to shorten the state’s formal name, the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." African-American lawmakers have argued the word "plantations" conjures up painful images of slavery. House and Senate lawmakers have separately adopted identical bills permitting the referendum. One of those bills must be adopted by both chambers to authorize a statewide referendum. Although lawmakers have finished the bulk of their annual work, they plan to meet later this summer. Exact dates have not been set. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.