“We stand by the principle that we have a moral obligation to help all in need.”

Congratulations, Alisha, on your new position. Can you please give our audience an overview of the coalition’s mission?

Thanks so much for this opportunity to share more about RI Interfaith. I had the pleasure of meeting our organization’s founder, Maxine Richman, recently and it is truly an honor to continue this work she started with others in 2008. Our mission is to fight poverty with faith. There are too many Rhode Islanders who struggle to meet basic needs, and it is everyone’s responsibility to care for all, not just some. We use our collective faiths and voices to work together to move that needle in the right direction by addressing, exposing, combating, improving and/or eliminating systemic issues that underlie poverty.  

Digging deeper, can you elaborate on the four principle elements of the mission?

— Organize

Ever since I was little girl growing up in East Providence, I have witnessed that people are most effective when they move, act, and plan together. There are so many amazing organizations in Rhode Island and other states doing great work in silos. We want to organize and partner with them because a united faith community is something to be reckoned with locally, statewide, and federally.

— Connect

Some may know this about me, but I am a Pentecostal Christian and proud member of the King’s Cathedral in Providence where everyone is royalty. My mother was raised Southern Baptist, my father Catholic, and my stepfather Muslim. I married a Buddhist, and since our divorce, he has become a Monk, so I know firsthand that all faiths have a voice and every voice matters. RI Interfaith works to amplify those voices and the common threads that allow us to fight poverty with faith together.

— Advocate

We stand by the principle that we have a moral obligation to help all in need. God’s way is the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. RI Interfaith advocates for the poor. Sometimes that is done by fighting for policy changes, pushing for revenue to do more, spotlighting initiatives that will make a difference, and much more. We are here to challenge the status quo and create change for the better for everyone.  

— Empower

If you believe like us that every voice matters, we must let all be at the table, be part of the solutions, and have their values respected, considered and incorporated. I personally believe our system, historically and currently, doesn’t support that and is set up to keep a hierarchy and all the -isms thriving. RI Interfaith works together with others to empower the residents – from the seniors to the children – to embrace and use their voice regardless of their circumstances and obstacles. We also work with them to amplify their gifts as well as the resources in their neighborhoods because we are all capable of being assets to Rhode Island’s present and future.      

What about the coalition’s Vision?

Our vision is that every Rhode Islander should have:

• A decent, safe, and affordable home

• Adequate food and nutrition

• Equal access to affordable and quality health care

• Equal and quality education for all children

• Decent work with adequate income

Obviously, that looks different depending on where one is in life. The definitions of “affordable” and “quality” also vary greatly. We strive to meet residents and families where they are. We support and empower them on their individual journeys so we can be better together.   

In the announcement earlier this month, you were quoted as saying: “In our current climate, we all have a moral obligation to lead with love, compassion, and forgiveness. We also must act, and RI Interfaith is the organization that fights poverty with faith and understands diversity is an asset celebrated and created by God.” Please elaborate.

For years, despite accolades and awards, I have struggled to love myself fully. I compared myself to others’ resumes and achievements and I didn’t allow myself to believe I was enough. The Bible says I am enough, and He made me – all of us – different for a reason. God loves EVERYONE and leads this world with that unfailing love, compassion, and forgiveness. Those facts, and staying aligned with God’s tenets for living, keeps me focused, hopeful, and ready to step into this additional leadership role humbly and confidently. Even if just a little, I pray my testimony and inclusive style heals, strengthens, unites and elevates our state’s faith community so fewer kids go to sleep hungry, less are unhoused, and more families are thriving rather than just surviving.        

How can people get involved?

We need your ideas and for you to amplify our cause by teaching others in your neighborhoods. Stay connected by signing up to receive our newsletters that I plan to revive in 2026. Come to our events, volunteer your time and help us plan more. Finally, the work of all these great organizations takes money to do. With more, RI Interfaith can do more so please consider donating. Every bit counts.     

Please tell us about the Interfaith Poverty Vigil scheduled for 2 p.m. on Jan. 8 at the State House.

For nearly 20 years, faith leaders from around the state annually gather alongside advocacy organizations, community groups, and elected officials to reaffirm that we have a moral obligation to fight poverty and inequality. We time the Interfaith Poverty Vigil with the start of the legislative session so we can pray over our elected officials and hear some of their solutions. We also share our areas of focus for that year. It is a necessary event for alignment and to keep reducing poverty a priority. I want everyone to come to prove we are together in this fight.

You have traveled on quite the journey since leaving The Providence Journal, where we were both reporters, many years ago. A few details please.

It truly has been a journey. I say I have been blessed and busy. Being a reporter at Projo for more than two decades gave me a voice I didn’t know I had as well as a conviction/responsibility to highlight the diversity that makes Rhode Island and our country so great and the problems that are preventing all from shining. Back then, and now, there weren’t a lot of reporters of color or coverage about those issues nor many stories (other than during Black History Month) that celebrated the many contributions made by people who look like me. I carried that torch into a communications director position in state government and then as an entrepreneur amplifying people, campaigns and organizations that fight for equity. Throughout all of that, I also became a vulnerable and popular keynote speaker, poet, and singer. Each assignment is a gift from God, and I am excited to keep letting Him guide my steps.

What do you have to say to people of all faiths during this holiday season?

I just posted about this on our RI Interfaith socials so I will share some of it here: “Preserving and celebrating all cultures, religions and ways of life are critical to the work we do together at RI Interfaith. We are all ‘others’ to someone somewhere, and while we have more similarities than differences, our differences create a rich tapestry to learn and grow from one another.  It is also an opportunity to demonstrate respect and kindness. What RI Interfaith loves most about our connectivity is the shared commitment to help those in need. So whether it is Hanukkah, Diwali, Christmas, Las Posadas, Eid al-Fitr, Kwanzaa or another, we honor your light to this world and the mark you make individually and with us.”

And I will end with this, I pray 2026 will be better than 2025 for you and yours and that we work powerfully together with love, understanding, grace, and kindness.