2023 Juneteenth Celebration

The celebration includes a tour, a panel discussion, a Reggae festival, a gospel choir concert, African drumming, and more…

Reading the bones is both an ancient and modern form of divination found in all civilizations. Divination is among the earliest human spiritual practices concerned with choosing actions that were in accord with the “will of heaven” to allay uncertainty, heal illness, or navigate issues of tribal importance.

Interestingly, the casting and reading of the bones take on a different connotation when we consider the rediscovery of the 18th-century African burying ground in Portsmouth, NH. This accidental unearthing of African remains on a city street that had been forgotten, paved over, and built upon forced the city and the state at large to acknowledge their history of enslaving humans and the presence of Africans in the region before enslavement.

BHTNH offers this weeklong Juneteenth celebration to honor these early African settlers and their descendants for their extraordinary contributions to the growth of this region. We honor the African traders who interacted with the Indigenous tribal nations long before European settlers landed on these shores. We honor the Africans who survived the Middle Passage and the successive generations of the African diaspora who continue to contribute to the development, wealth, and well-being of New England.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023

Panel Discussion | 6:00 PM | Currier Museum | Manchester, NH

In 2009, the Center for the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire produced a 30-minute documentary, Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire, that featured the lives of five refugees who were re-settled in New Hampshire. They told their personal stories of war, persecution, refugee camps, and starting again in New Hampshire. Umija and Rasim Gusinac, Udai Baskota, Zahara Mahitula, and Munaf Mahmood come from different countries and backgrounds, but they are part of New Hampshire's ongoing demographic narrative.

This program will revisit the narrative from the film as we learn where these individuals’ journeys have taken them, particularly their continued search to establish a home and develop a sense of belonging in our state.

The first 30 to register for the in-person program will recieve a copy of Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire. 

Presenters: 
Rashida Eltag Mohamed, Domestic & Sexual Violence Advocate, Manchester Police Department 
Anzura Gakwaya, Community Building Specialist, NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire 
Fisto Ndayishimiye, Lead Organizer, Change for Concord

Moderator: 
Grace Kindeke, Program Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee NH 

Brought to you in partnership with the Currier Museum of Art, this event is free and open to the public.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023

Art Exhibit | 3S Artspace | Portsmouth, NH

IF YOU KNEW, LET IT BE US

McKinley Wallace III, a mixed-media painter and art educator, paints, draws, and collages to tell stories of power manifested in resilient peoples.

Exploring race, history, and intersectionality, Wallace’s artistic ideas are often expressed in a graphic style that incorporates realism, minimalism, and hard-edge painting. Strengthened by my role as a Black educator, I capture moments of atmospheric and direct tension and rebellion to rattle America's exclusionary ideals and legacies – choices enacted by the impact of deferring Black joy for centuries.

Join us for this opening reception where McKinley Wallace and the other artist sharing the Gallery space at the same time will be engaging in a moderated artist conversation together to talk about their work and process, and open questions up to Gallery attendees as well as those watching via live stream on Twitch.

This event is brought to you by 3S Artspace. It is free and open to the public.

SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023

Reggae Festival | Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, NH

CHANTING DOWN BABYLON: REDEMPTION SONGS OF THE DIASPORA

It is not an overstatement to say that world culture has been influenced by Jamaican reggae music and culture. With its roots grounded in an African sensibility of expressing philosophical words through music, its slow rhythmic beat, its militant, rebellious, and spiritual lyrics, and its positive message about unity, reggae continues to be a source for highlighting issues of social justice.

This festival celebrates the music of the African Diaspora and honors the legacy of roots reggae.  Join us for performances by reggae legends, Marcia Griffiths, Brigadier Jerry, Nadine Southerland, Onix Brown, Lady G, and Glen Washington; Caribbean foods, craft vendors, and a chance to vibe to great music.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Robert Nesta Marley.

Tickets are available at the door the day of the event.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2023

Dance Performance | Music Hall | Portsmouth | $30 - $70

CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS: RECLAIMING BLACK NARRATIVES

In African societies, dance serves many complex social purposes. Often there is no clear distinction between ritual celebration, social recreation, and history-keeping. African Diasporic dances, Samba and tap dance, line dance, hip hop, Capoeira, and twerking are all dance styles that have their origins on the continent of Africa.

Camille A. Brown and Dancers is a group that is reclaiming Black narratives for Black and brown people and elevating African Diasporic culture to its rightful place in American society. Spreading the joy of dance, they create and present performances that celebrate community, investigate historical and contemporary culture and recognize our shared humanity.

In addition to the dance performance, Camille A. Brown Dance Company will be offering a workshop with the Black Heritage Trail of NH and The Music Hall. 

The event is brought to you by the Music Hall

MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2023 | 11:00AM

African Drumming | African Burying Ground | FREE

THE HEALING RHYTHM OF THE DRUMS

Traditionally the drum was the heartbeat and soul of African communities, thus holding deep historic and symbolic significance. The drums herald political and social events and ceremonies of birth, death, and marriage. They spark courtships, home-coming and going, and accompany religious rites and rituals that call up ancestral spirits while creating an atmosphere that promotes healing and social resilience.

This commemorative event, live streaming from the Portsmouth African Burying Ground, pays homage to the ancestors buried there. The healing beat of the drums provided by Akwaaba Ensemble, an African drumming and dance group, and a ceremony by Rev. Robert Thompson will honor the ancestors who survived upon these shores.

The Event is Free and Open to the Public.

MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2023 | 2:00PM

Gospel Choir Performance | South Church | $35 pp

FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA: WE ARE THE DRUMS

Performance plays a key role in narrating the African story in America. The Negro spirituals sung by enslaved Africans laid the foundation for today’s gospel, blues, jazz, and rap music. All of these musical forms provide artists the chance to express the Black experience.

Returning to Portsmouth, The Howard Gospel Choir, a group of students, alumni, and community members from Howard University, will lift our spirits as we celebrate, heal, and empower our communities. As the first college choir of its kind in the world, the Howard Gospel Choir is a trailblazer for gospel music ministries on collegiate campuses across the globe.

Choir Members Include:
Choir Director: Ray Bramble

Cost is $35 per person. Space is Limited. 

The event is brought to you in partnership with South Church Unitarian Universalist Church, Portsmouth NH.