Only On Saturdays: Making Black Family Life in Portsmouth

Sankofa Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town? This tour invites you to discover the world of early Portsmouth from the perspective of African American women. In spite of enslavement and hardship, these women fought for freedom, defied a sitting president, and educated generations of children to follow. Hear their stories about love and faith and struggle, as you walk past the homes of the families who enslaved them.

Tour Guide: Barbara Rimkunas Walk in the footsteps of Exeter’s earlier generations and explore the racial history of the town—the conflicts, concessions, and changes that have taken place over time. This tour will explore how racial identity has shaped Exeter’s history and will serve to open a dialogue that will help shape its future. Meeting place: Exeter Town Hall, Front Street

Sankofa Tour Guide: Daniel Comly Despite a horde of obstacles, Black men and women, both enslaved and free, met, established relationships, married, and built families. Learn about these obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families will describe how members of the African community claimed their place as Americans.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Lyonel Loveless, Stanford Cross This tour will provide visitors with a closer look at Prince Whipple and the men who joined him in signing the Petition of Freedom as well as Prince Whipple’s first-hand knowledge of the debates for Independence and in the NH militia. The tour highlights sites of significance to his life after he regained his freedom including the sites of the house where he and his wife Dinah lived and where Dinah established the…

"When Dr. King and Miss Scott visited Portsmouth, NH on October 26, 1952 he gave a sermon titled "Going Forward by Going Backward." In 1952 the enduring value of Reverend King's words was not fully appreciated, and his legacy and martyrdom, were unimaginable. This brightly illustrated picture book imagines that day, and gives a colorful picture of a special day in a small New England Town." Meet author Tammi Truax and Illustrator Rev. Lillian Buckley as they talk about their…

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Martino During the Spring of 1796, George Washington’s final months in office, Ona Judge, an enslaved woman owned by the First Family, escaped the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia with the aid of that city’s free Black community and made her way to Portsmouth, NH. On this tour, you will hear the true story of Ona’s quest for freedom and the President’s relentless efforts to get her back. See the waterfront where she lands and…

  "Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership is a collection of inspiring and instructive memories compiled from the decade that Mrs. Parks was a guest in author H.H. Leonard’s Washington, DC home. During those years, Mrs. Leonards was able to know the heart, mind, and spirit of the woman who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus on December 1, 1955. The author shares her remembrances, both delightful and somber, in a way…

Since the pandemic, experts pointed to the bold action President Franklin D. Roosevelt took during the Great Depression as an example of the scale and scope the pandemic response should achieve. The New Deal put millions of desperate Americans to work, created massive job programs, and established a safety net for the unemployed and elderly. However, these programs did not benefit everyone who needed help. Black people, Hispanics, and women were disproportionately excluded from access. With an eye on the…

The median income of a New Hampshire household is not enough to rent a median priced apartment in places like Portsmouth and Manchester. The data is far worse for a single person earning the New Hampshire median income. A single person would need at least two roommates to afford a median priced, apartment. Burdened by high rents, households strain to cover other necessary expenses, such as food, health care, clothing, and transportation. Households paying more than 30 percent of their…