Sankofa Walking Tour: Meet Jack Stains, a “Black Jack” in Historic Old Portsmouth: A Living History Tour

This informative overview of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail is just right for a first visit to the city or for those who prefer an alternative to a walking tour. Our well-trained and experienced Sankofa Scholars narrate an hour and a half tour of sites that tell the stories of Black people from the time they arrived on the colonial-era wharves lining the waterfront, to laboring in the local maritime-related industries, until New Hampshire joined the Union by adopting the…

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: JerriAnne Boggis Local newspapers carried merchants’ ads for ships returning to the port of Portsmouth laden with cargo from trade ports on the West Coast of Africa, the West Indies and the middle Atlantic coastal cities of Colonial America. Visit local wharves and auction sites related to the Atlantic Slave Trade, where a captive could be exchanged for “cash or good lumber” to serve in the master’s house or work on the docks or aboard…

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Valerie Cunningham & Kevin Wade Mitchell As focus shifts from the front of the house to the backyards and cellar holes of New Hampshire’s historic house museums, we consider some of the material culture experienced by household servants, including those whose black bodies had helped create their white family’s wealth. NOTE: This tour meets at the Warner House, 150 Daniel St. at 2 pm Register Online

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Kevin Wade Mitchel as Jack Staines Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865. Black seamen sailed on whalers, warships, and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800 most seamen were free to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship. On this tour you will meet Jack Staines, husband to Ona Judge Staines, the President and Martha Washington’s…

Friday & Saturday, Oct 19-20, 2018 Squamscott Room, Holloway Commons University of New Hampshire Durham NH 2018 Conference Info Conference Schedule Register Online Now

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: 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’s from the perspective of African American women. In spite of enslavement and hardship, these women fought for freedom, defied a 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.…

Free and open to the public One-third of Muslims in the United States are Black, and many African immigrants resettled in New England over the past two decades are Muslim. Despite this, pervasive images of Muslims are limited to people of Arab identity. For this panel, presenters will explore the intersections of their identities as Black Muslims living in post 9/11 New England. Their shared stories will offer perspective and insights about what it means to be part of a…

Join us to Celebrate! Please come celebrate with us the release of our first book! Black Heritage Trail of NH has published its first of a planned series of books on Self-Guided Walking Tours in different areas of New Hampshire. First in the series is: Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Contributing editors are: Valerie Cunningham, founding member of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director, Black Heritage Trail of NH Anne Richter…

A performance of story, music and history. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments and Q&A after the performance. The 2nd annual event honoring the U.N International Decade for People of African Descent Presented by Artists Building Capacity as World Citizens A dramatic performance by NH Seacoast actor Kevin Wade Mitchell, through story and music, he explores the life of a little-known New England historical figure of color, whose story was nearly lost to time. Read more about ABC…

Ben Butler, a Union general, had just arrived as commander of Ft. Monroe in Virginia in 1861 when three Black men asked him for sanctuary. Should he honor the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and return the men to their “owner”? This is the central question of Richard Strand’s “Ben Butler,” a surprisingly witty, as well as serious, play that will be read by local actors Wednesday, Jan 16, 7:30 pm, at Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth. Butler’s decision,…