Ali Cabral stands at the intersection of basketball history, civil rights, and community development in Rhode Island—a pioneer whose six decades of activism trace a continuous line from the Civil Rights Movement to present-day neighborhood revitalization.

In 1962, as a 15-year-old during the height of the movement, Cabral and nine friends founded the North Providence Summer Basketball League. They dressed in their best clothes to petition the Town Council for court access and lighting, then went door-to-door securing business sponsors. What began as teenagers seeking a safe place to play evolved into a 32-year community institution that integrated players of color and launched nearly three dozen NBA careers. Cabral has called it “a great equalizer” during turbulent times.

Today, as president of Providence Inner City Arts and the Roots Cultural Center, Cabral channels that same spirit of grassroots leadership. His commitment to neighborhood stability goes beyond advocacy—he owns and maintains five homes on Providence’s Emmett Street, providing affordable housing options even as property values climb near the hospital district.

Cabral’s housing work grew out of his involvement with SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property), where he discovered a Tool Bank and a network of tradespeople transforming South Providence. “We were all pioneers,” he recalls. “We didn’t have much money. Sometimes we had to duct-tape things together.” Those early collaborations became the blueprint for rebuilding communities through trust and shared purpose.

An author and public thinker, Cabral continues to challenge Rhode Island to confront its past and present. His 2020 essay critiquing the Bristol Independence Day Parade examined the state’s central role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and asked what true freedom means in a place once built on bondage.

From petitioning for basketball court lights as a teenager to preserving affordable housing as a community elder, Cabral’s life embodies the power of persistence—and the belief that lasting change begins when neighbors refuse to walk away.

Len Cabral has been captivating audiences with the art of storytelling for nearly five decades, transforming folktales from Cape Verde, Africa, and the Caribbean into theatrical experiences that bridge cultures and generations. Since launching his professional storytelling career in 1976, he has become one of America’s most celebrated performers, earning the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence Oracle Award in 2001.

Born in North Providence, Rhode Island, in 1948, Cabral carries the heritage of his Cape Verdean grandparents—descendants of whalers who immigrated from islands off West Africa’s coast—into every performance. His early career working at a day care center in the 1970s revealed storytelling’s power to teach children how to listen, communicate, and imagine. That discovery launched a career that has taken him from New England schools to international stages in Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Holland and Canada.

Cabral’s repertoire spans continents and centuries, featuring traditional characters such as Anansi the spider, Cape Verdean tricksters Tubino and Nho Lobo, Native American Coyote tales, and Caribbean stories, alongside original pieces drawn from his own life. His trademark performance style—animated gestures, distinct character voices, and infectious energy—has made him a regular headliner at the National Storytelling Festival and at theaters across the country.

Beyond the stage, Cabral serves as artistic director for Providence Inner City Arts, the nonprofit he leads with his brother, Ali. His commitment to preserving and sharing cultural narratives extends through multiple mediums. He is the author of “Len Cabral’s Storytelling Book,” a guide featuring 22 tales with teaching notes for educators and aspiring storytellers and has recorded five audio collections that have earned Parents’ Choice and NAPPA awards.

Cabral is co-producing “Meet Me at the Court,” a documentary about the North Providence Summer Basketball League his brother helped found in 1962. The project reflects his lifelong mission: to uncover and share the stories that shape communities. Whether performing for kindergarteners or festival audiences of thousands, Cabral remains devoted to the oral tradition that transforms listeners into participants in humanity’s oldest form of connection and education.