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

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town? This interactive tour invites you to discover the world of past and present Portsmouth from the perspective of African-born and next generations of African American women. Learn how, in spite of enslavement and burdens of racial discrimination, these pioneers of change fought for justice and freedom, defied a sitting United States president, and educated generations of children. Hear the stories and celebrate the resilience, versatility, and courage…

Colonial Portsmouth newspapers testify to local involvement in the slave trade, runaway freedom-seekers, abolitionists, and anti-abolitionist activities, followed by conflicting opinions of the Civil War. In the 20th century, the legacy of that early history was reflected locally in newspaper reports of the struggles to end de facto segregation in housing, employment, and public places. This tour includes many of those historic landmarks from the early seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Panel #1: Things They Carried: An African Philosophy on War, Surviving Enslavement and CItizenship  February 2, 2025 | 2 PM | Portsmouth Public Library African societies had deep-rooted traditions of military strategy and guerrilla warfare, often used to defend against invaders or internal conflict. Enslaved Africans carried these traditions with them, applying their knowledge of strategy, resistance, and rebellion to push back against oppression. This panel will explore how African philosophies of war and cosmology helped enslaved Africans endure and…

Panel #2: Hopes and Impediments: War and Strategies for Belonging February 9, 2025 | 2 PM | Portsmouth Public Library The principle of maneuvering in war emphasizes flexibility and adapting to changing conditions. Historically, African Americans had to navigate oppressive political and social environments, using spiritual and cultural tools to maneuver within systems designed to suppress them. This session will highlight how, rather than passively accepting their imposed status, African and African American involvement in early wars like the Revolutionary…

Panel #3: The Great Migration: Military Service and the Shaping of a Diversified New Hampshire February 16, 2025 | 2 PM | Portsmouth Public Library In The Art of War, Sun Tzu highlights the importance of using terrain to one's advantage. For African Americans, navigating the U.S. political and social landscape often required knowing when and where to engage. Many viewed military service as a means of achieving social mobility, financial security, and proving their patriotism. This panel will examine the…

Panel #4: Eyes on the Prize: Protests, Movements, and the Road Ahead February 23, 2025 | 2 PM | Portsmouth Public Library African American civic movements and participation in wars have often been driven by deep moral and ethical goals—freedom, equality, and human dignity. The Civil Rights Movement, for instance, was led by individuals who invoked faith as a unifying force, drawing from Christian theology, African spiritual traditions, and a collective consciousness of liberation. Effective leadership, like in The Art of…

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 Time: 10 AM Location: The Nehemiah Hayward Homestead, 19 Maple Street, Milford, NH Free and open to the public. More details to come.

"What to the Slave is your Fourth of July?" Saturday, June 28, 2025 | Noon | Various Towns Across New Hampshire  On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and heroic orator for liberty, delivered one of his most famous speeches in which he asked, “What to the slave is your Fourth of July?” In addressing an Independence Day observance in Rochester, New York, his speech was a blistering indictment of an American idealism that ignored and accepted the inhuman…