Art by Daniel Minter
40 New Hampshire Black History Stories
2019 Lenten Program
For the second year, The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is honored to partner with the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire to offer a collection of short readings on little known historic figures from New Hampshire and Maine’s African American community for the Episcopalians’ 2019 Lenten Program, beginning Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019.
The Collection of Stories, Week 1
Day 1, March 6, 2019, Anthony Clark
Day 2, March 7, 2019, Benjamin Darling
Day 3, March 8, 2019, Malaga Island, Maine
Day 4, March 9, 2019, Hopestill Cheswell & Wentworth Cheswell
Day 5, March 11, 2019, Rosary Broxay Cooper
Day 6, March 12, 2019, The Brown Family
The Collection of Stories, Week 2
Day 7, March 13, 2019, Boston Bell
Day 8, March 14, 2019, Oxford Tash
Day 9, March 15, 2019, Freeman Wallace
Day 10, March 16, 2019, Prince Hastings
Day 11, March 18, 2019, Coit Mountain Families
Day 12, March 19, 2019, Ransom Parker
The Collection of Stories, Week 3
Day 13, March 20, 2019, Salem Colby
Day 14, March 21, 2019, Scipio Page
Day 15, March 22, 2019, Simon Drock
Day 16, March 23, 2019, Lot Little
Day 17, March 25, 2019, The Sankee Family
Day 18, March 26, 2019, Prince Walker
The Collection of Stories, Week 4
Day 19, March 27, 2019, Inez Bishop
Day 20, March 28, 2019, Marguerite Davis
Day 21, March 29, 2019, Rev. Jeffrey Campbell
Day 22, March 30, 2019, Forever Unknowns
Day 23, March 31, 2019, John G Cutler
Day 24, April 2, 2019, Haywood B. Burton
The Collection of Stories, Week 5
Day 25, April 3, 2019, Arthur Hilson
Day 26, April 4, 2019, Cato Walker
Day 27, April 5, 2019, Mel Bolden
Day 28, April 6, 2019, Caesar Bradish
Day 29, April 8, 2019, Hazel Sinclair and Clayton Sinclair Sr
Day 30, April 9, 2019, The Wentworths
The Collection of Stories, Week 6
Day 31, April 10, 2019, William Haskell
Day 32, April 11, 2019, Charles Hall
Day 33, April 12, 2019, Belle Brinkley Williams
Day 34, April 13, 2019, Timothy Blanchard
Day 35, April 15, 2019, Rev. Thomas Paul
Day 36, April 16, 2019, Nero Prince
The Collection of Stories, Week 7
Day 37, April 17, 2019, Edith Mary Green
Day 38, April 18, 2019, Vivian E. Washington
Day 39, April 19, 2019, Flora Stewart
Day 40, April 20, 2019, Black Will
Friday, April 19
Good Friday Guided Walking Tours in Portsmouth and Milford, NH
The BHTNH is pleased to host 2 guided walking tours on Good Friday as a part of the collaborative Lenten Program between the Episcopal Church and the Trail.
Both tours will offer participants an opportunity to contemplate the Passion of Christ and to reflect on the legacy of enslavement and racial injustice through a series of "prayers of remembrance and reconciliation" at sites on the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail and the Milford Black Heritage Trail.
1 pm meet at St. John’s Church, 101 Chapel Street, Portsmouth, NH
3 pm meet at the Milford Oval, Milford, NH 03055
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
We hope these reflections help us to use Lent as a time to broaden our knowledge, to say our prayers in a way that helps us to repent (change our mind) and appreciate the contributions of those named. For, if we are to take steps toward becoming “A Beloved Community,” we cannot remain ignorant of our history, including our contributions to oppression and to the brave souls who sacrificed so much.
As is always the case: “the truth shall set us free.”
The Reconciliation Commission also encourages parish study groups to read together Living into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America, edited by Catherine Meeks, to learn more about the origins and meaning of “the Beloved Community” and the many ways the Spirit draws us closer to its realization.
May we fulfill our baptismal vow of promoting justice, peace, and love by entering this Holy Season of Lent with an openness to listen, to wait, to pray and to open our eyes and ears.
Regards,
The Reconciliation Commission
Please join us in prayer:
Becoming Beloved Community Prayer
Creator of All, When you send your Holy Spirit to us in baptism, You invite us into deep communion with you and with one another. In this moment, as we work together to Become Beloved Community, inspire us to tell the Truth about the Church and Race, that we may persevere in resisting evil, and come to you, and to one another, to repent and be forgiven.
Strengthen us to engage with our words and actions, And our careful listening, the Dream of a Beloved Community, Where God's Good News is proclaimed and fully lived. Flood us with your love, that we learn to love ourselves, And each other; and become reconcilers who seek the face of Jesus in our neighbors, and ourselves. Teach us to practice your way of love, that we will strive for justice and peace in our churches, our neighborhoods, our institutions, and our systems. Bless us, that as followers of Jesus Christ, We may work together to realize your dream for us: Your children united in thought, word and deed, in You. We ask these things in the name of Jesus our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit who moves within us to sanctify us. Amen.
~ The Rev. Teresa Gocha, Chair of the Diversity Committee
