News

Marie S. Metoyer (1925 – 2020) Marie Susan Madison Metoyer, M.D., 94, passed away on March 17, 2020, at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH after a brief illness. A resident of Manchester, NH for nearly four decades, Dr. Metoyer was a soft-spoken woman of few words whose appearance belied her impact on the State of New Hampshire, not only as the first African American female psychiatrist in the state, but her decades serving those less fortunate in community mental health, and…

By Hadley Barndollar Posted Feb 8, 2020 at 4:18 PM PORTSMOUTH — Per approval of the city’s African Burying Ground Stewardship Committee, two sets of remains from the historic 1700s site will undergo genome sequencing and forensic genealogical analysis — an effort to learn more about the lives led by these individuals, with a remote possibility of finding living descendants today. The City Council this week authorized the expenditure of up to $10,450 from the African Burying Ground Trust to…

New Hampshire Public Radio  By JASON MOON • 02/02/2020 Like many presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is spending lots time in New Hampshire in the final days of the state’s presidential primary. But as he campaigned in Portsmouth on Sunday morning, he ended up doing more listening than talking. Patrick began the day with a tour of the city’s Black Heritage Trail. Flanked by campaign staff, reporters, and a handful of voters, Patrick rarely spoke, except to ask questions of the…

By Karen Dandurant news@seacoastonline.com Posted Feb 2, 2020 at 5:20 PMUpdated Feb 3, 2020 at 8:49 AM PORTSMOUTH — Presidential hopeful Deval Patrick took a tour of the Black Heritage Trail in Portsmouth on Sunday, learning about the history of New Hampshire slavery in the city. “Thank you for inviting me,” said Patrick, a Democrat. “I am looking forward to the tour.” The tour began at the Court Street home of the Black Heritage Trail. The first stop was the African Burial Ground memorial. Nur Shoop, a certified guide for BHT…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Portsmouth, NH, January 23, 2020) – – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. The selected members are respected in the community and will join a group of civic and business leaders to guide the Trail as it expands across the state. The new members are Selina Choate, Associate Director of UNH McNair Scholars Program and Eric Cooper, Financial Advisor with Commonwealth…

February 2 – March 8, 2020 – Portsmouth, NH What’s Belief got to do with it? “For some of our most important beliefs, we have no evidence at all, except that people we love and trust hold these beliefs.” —2002 Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman Belief is a powerful component of human nature that forms our convictions, molds our relationships and informs our behavior. These convictions provide a moral framework that guides our lives, thoughts, and hopes, and governs our societies.…

Valerie Cunningham invites you to join us for the 2020 Sankofa Bus Tour to DC’s National Museum of African American History & Culture Monday, August 10 – Friday, August 14   $955* includes: 5 days with 4 nights — Madison Hilton Hotel DC VIP motor-coach from Portsmouth NH to and around Washington DC • NMAAHC • Frederick Douglass House Museum • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial • and more! *Per person $355 non-refundable deposit per person due on February 14,…

May this New Year before you be a joyful one for you and your loved ones! 2020 is portent to be a year of great change. In the true meaning of Sankofa, (reaching back to get it) we take a few moments to reflect on where we have been, where we are now and where we plan to be. We look forward to this era of transformation with you. In 2019, Honoring Those We Lost In the tradition of honoring…