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Not Your Founding Father: Rhode Island's Genderless Minister

  • January 28, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

  • Aldrich House

    110 Benevolent Street
    Providence, Rhode Island 02906
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Description

Join the Rhode Island Historical Society on Wednesday, January 28th, at 6pm at the Aldrich House in Providence for “Not Your Founding Father: Rhode Island's Genderless Minister” with Nina Sankovitch. 

Sankovitch will present the compelling true story of Rhode Island’s own Universal Friend, a self-proclaimed genderless minister who, after awakening from a prolonged illness in 1776, announced they had been sent by God to save the world. Universal Friend ended up founding communities which, in the years following America’s independence from England, provided anyone – no matter their gender or race – with the opportunity to enjoy the “unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” that had been promised to all Americans in the Declaration of Independence. Universal Friend, in other words, did what other early American leaders had promised: created a society that strove to uphold equality and opportunity – and succeeded beyond all expectations. But into every Eden comes a snake. 

Nina Sankovitch is the author of several nonfiction books, including American Rebels and The Lowells of Massachusetts. She has written for the New York Times, the Huffington Post as a contributing blogger, and was formerly a judge for The Book of the Month Club. A graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School, Sankovitch worked as an environmental lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council and as President and Executive Director of Save the Sound in Connecticut. She now lives in the Bronx. 

Date & Time

Wed, Jan 28, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Venue Details

Aldrich House

110 Benevolent Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02906 Aldrich House
Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state's oldest and only statewide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting and sharing Rhode Island's past to enrich the present and inspire the future. Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st  -century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center and the Aldrich House.


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