Roshni Darnal
| Special to The Journal
Higher Ground International nurtures immigrants and refugees in RI
Founder and CEO Henrietta White-Holder knows the struggles faced by newcomers: She walked in their shoes after landing in RI from war-torn Liberia.
Rhode Island has long been a place shaped by diversity and a tradition of welcoming newcomers. Yet despite clear economic and social contributions, there remains an unfortunate myth that newly arriving immigrants and refugees are more of a burden than a benefit. In reality, the opposite is true.
In 2023, nearly one in six workers in Rhode Island was an immigrant. They paid more than $1 billion in state, local and federal taxes, and their spending power topped $2 billion. These are not small figures, but rather the very real contributions of people who are working, raising families and building futures here.
But successful integration doesn’t happen by chance. Newcomers face steep barriers: language, unfamiliar systems and the trauma that comes from displacement and fleeing crisis. Our refugees and their families need more than just a job – they need communities that offer real pathways to stability and belonging.
Organizations such as Beautiful Day show what’s possible when we invest in people and when opportunity meets determination and resilience.
The organization is often the first landing spot for those arriving in Rhode Island. Not only do they provide paid, on-the-job training in a uniquely supportive environment, but every job is part of a larger classroom, where people learn the hard skills and the soft skills that build confidence and lay the foundation for a limitless future. What immigrants and their families need most is a first opportunity, and that’s exactly what Beautiful Day delivers.
It is imperative that we support programs and policies that help immigrants succeed. Investments in workforce training, youth development, language access and culturally sensitive wraparound services pay dividends not only for individuals, but also for Rhode Island as a whole.
Our state doesn’t just benefit from immigrant and refugee contributions – it depends on them. And that’s why we must learn from the examples set by organizations like Beautiful Day and build systems that ensure every newcomer has a real chance to belong, contribute and succeed.
Roshni Darnal is the director of community investments at the United Way of Rhode Island.