By Hadley Barndollar
Posted Jun 19, 2018 at 2:34 PM | hbarndollar@seacoastonline.com
CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu officially recognized Juneteenth in a historic proclamation Tuesday. It was the first time the state of New Hampshire has affirmed the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
New Hampshire had been one of only five states in the country that did not recognize Juneteenth as a day of observance. The occasion is hailed by many African-Americans as an Independence Day of sorts for the black community.
In a report released June 7, the governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion, tasked with making recommendations in regards to how the state can better equality and equity efforts, noted New Hampshire is behind in the endeavor of “celebrating and recognizing the full history of identities, cultures, religious holidays and milestone events that affect and define all communities throughout the state.”
The council recommended New Hampshire join 45 other states in recognizing Juneteenth.
“Consistent with the recommendations made by my Diversity and Inclusion Council, it is an honor to for the first time in our state’s history to proclaim June 19 as Juneteenth Day in New Hampshire,” Sununu said in a statement Tuesday.
The official proclamation reads, “Juneteenth today celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures.”
Rogers Johnson, president of the Seacoast NAACP and chairman of the Council on Diversity and Inclusion, said the swiftness on the state’s part to take action so quickly after the report release is a good sign.
“They recognized obviously something that had not been done in the past and quickly responded in order really to make people understand that they do read the reports, understand the issues, and have gone out of their way to recognize something of importance,” Johnson said. “It is also a recognition of the fact that there are still things that need to be done and you have an individual who is willing to do them.”
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire held a daylong celebration of African American culture for its annual celebration of Juneteenth this past Saturday in Portsmouth.
“It’s really exciting and it’s more than a step in the right direction,” said JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. “It’s a long time coming. It acknowledges the date of the end of slavery, but it also acknowledges we had slavery here in New Hampshire, which is pointing to American history. I think it’s a lot of first steps for us and I commend the governor for doing this.”
Boggis said it’s a way for African American culture and history to “get into the dialogue, to talk about the history of slavery and how that history still affects our culture today.”
“We have a lot of new Americans in our state, and we want to highlight we are a welcoming state for diversity,” she said. “All of the data shows people are looking for diverse communities. And this (proclamation) goes a long way for creating an image of welcoming for the state.”
