News

Black Heritage Trail of NH Presents 2024 Sankofa Guided Walking Tours “Ona Judge Day” Tour May 21 kicks off 2024 series Portsmouth, New Hampshire… Portsmouth Black History tours have been going on for 30 years. The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) expanded these tours state-wide 7 years ago. Known for sharing a truer, more inclusive history of New Hampshire, BHTNH’s 2024 tour season Read More...

CALL FOR PAPERS 18th Annual Black New England Conference Living Out Loud: The Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Deadline June 1, 2024 The intersectionality of race, gender, and sexual orientation has been historically intertwined, reflecting the complex dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression within society. Throughout history, marginalized communities have faced Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire and the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden have come together in partnership; their inaugural offering is a not-to-be-missed conversation between descendants of African and white families of Portsmouth from the 1700s. Entitled “Discovery of Our Interconnected Legacies of Portsmouth: New Hampshire’s Slave History” the program will feature eight generation Read More...

A new pocket park honoring Exeter’s Black Revolutionary War soldiers, their families, and the community they lived in for over one hundred years will be the site of a Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire commemorative marker. The unveiling ceremony will be on Saturday, May 4th, at 10 a.m. This new pocket park will be located at 223 Water Street at the American flagpole, directly across from the Read More...

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire Hosts Informative Tea Talk: “Envisioning the Future” at Nashua Public Library The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is pleased to invite the public to the concluding event of its Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk series, “Envisioning the Future,” scheduled for Sunday, April 21, 2024, at the Nashua Read More...

  A Pivotal Conversation on Policing and Criminal Justice in New Hampshire Portsmouth, NH – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is excited to spotlight the fourth event in the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks 2024 series, “Close to the Edge: Policing and Criminal Justice in New Hampshire.” This crucial discussion, set for February 25, 2024, at the Portsmouth Public Read More...

    The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is pleased to announce the officers who will lead its Board of Directors in 2024 and welcome three new board members. The board officers are President Dr. Shari Robinson who serves as the Assistant Vice-Provost of Student Life at the University of New Hampshire, and Vice President Tanisha Johnson who is the Child and Family Services Director for the Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) isexcited to announce the third session of the 2024 Elinor Williams HookerTea Talks, "A Question of Access and Quality: Health Care in NewHampshire." This pivotal discussion, set for February 18, 2024, at thePortsmouth Public Library, is part of this year's enlightening series, “A New Deal for A Great Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is pleased to announce the kickoff of the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks Series for 2024, featuring two enlightening panels. These thought-provoking discussions aim to shed light on significant historical and contemporary issues concerning the African American community in New Hampshire. The first panel, titled “New Deal or Raw Deal: Why it Read More...

“A New Deal for A Great Society: Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks 2024” Date: Dec. 12th, 2023 Location: Portsmouth, NH The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) proudly announces the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks 2024, a series of insightful and participatory panel-led discussions. This year’s theme, “A New Deal for A Great Society,” aims to delve into the Read More...

Portsmouth, NH – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is proud to present a remarkable evening centered around the book “Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership” on Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Temple Israel on State Street in Portsmouth. The event will feature author H.H. Leonard, who shares a compelling collection of memories, Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is excited to announce a captivating book signing event on Friday, November 3, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at 222 Court Street, Portsmouth. This special occasion will feature author Tammi Truax and Illustrator Rev. Lillian Buckley as they discuss and sign copies of their remarkable book, “The Pearl of Portsmouth: A Story of Dr. Martin Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is proud to announce the exceptional lineup of lunchtime keynotes and special presenters for the 17th Annual Black New England Conference, themed “I Too Sing: Art, Writing and Music in Our BIPOC Communities.” This two-day event, held in partnership with Northeastern University and the Reckonings Project, promises to be a celebration of Read More...

Known for 1990s house singles like “Show Me Love,” Robin S. is the keynote speaker at the awards dinner of the Black New England Conference (BNEC).  Held at Northeastern University’s Fenway Center on October 20, the dinner includes a presentation of the Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire (BHTNH)’s Citizen of the Year award to Napoleon Jones-Henderson for his achievements championing Black Art Read More...

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire Will Award Citizen of the Year to Napoleon Jones-Henderson at the 17th Annual Black New England Conference Portsmouth, NH: The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) will host the 17th Annual Black New England Conference (BNEC) in partnership with Northeastern University and the Reckonings Project. At each conference, the BHTNH Citizen of the Year Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) has a lineup of thought provoking and inspirational panel discussions for the 2023 Black New England Conference. The virtual and in-person conference, held at Northeastern University on October 20th and 21st, is themed “I, Too, Sing: Art, Music, and Writing in Our BIPOC Communities”. The 6 panels over the two-day conference bring together artists, Read More...

The March for Justice Continues in NH By ARNIE ALPERT August 27, 2023 RECOMMENDTWEET EMAILPRINTMORE ARNIE ALPERT photo Marchers on Memorial Bridge from Kittery, Maine, to Portsmouth Arnie Alpert Arnie Alpert spent decades as a community organizer/educator in NH movements for social justice and peace, including a year as a member of the Clamshell Alliance office collective.  Officially retired Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is thrilled to announce its partnership with Northeastern University and the Reckonings Project for the 17th Annual Black New England Conference: I, Too, Sing: Art, Music, and Writing in Our BIPOC Communities. Scheduled for October 20th and 21st at Northeastern University’s Fenway Center in Boston, the conference focuses on how BIPOC artists use the Read More...

Hearing Black Portsmouth enables visitors to actually hear directly from leaders of the region’s Black community who are no longer with us.  Presented in recognition of the City of Portsmouth’s 400-year milestone, it is an outgrowth of a year-long effort to organize and catalog our archives, manuscripts, and oral history collections funded by a grant from the American Historical Association Read More...

Nashua, NH – May 24, 2023 – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is thrilled to announce that Manuel “Manny” Delcarmen, former Boston Red Sox player, will join Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess and BHTNH as a special guest at the Historic Marker Unveiling event in Nashua. Delcarmen will also be throwing out the first pitch for the Nashua Silver Knights game immediately following the Read More...

Portsmouth, NH – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) invites the public to attend the unveiling of historic markers in Milford and Nashua during the month of May. These markers are part of a statewide program, “Mapping Untold Stories,” that brings to light the rich history and contributions of Black people in New Hampshire. The Milford marker honors Harriet Wilson, the first African Read More...

PORTSMOUTH, NH — The Black Heritage Trail of NH is excited to present Youth to Power:  Young Female Activists, the community dialogue that closes out the 2023 Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk series on Sunday, March 12, at 2:00 PM. Free and open to the public, this hybrid program is presented in person at the Temple Israel at 200 State Street in Portsmouth and is simultaneously available online. Read More...

NASHUA – Mayor Jim Donchess has announced that the City of Nashua and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will erect a new plaque at Holman Stadium honoring African American baseball players Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. Hall of Fame Catcher Roy Campanella, and Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Don Newcombe were signed to play with the Nashua Dodgers in 1946 when Jackie Robinson was playing Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of NH is pleased to welcome visual artist, poet, innovator, and public historian as the final guest poet of this year’s Black Matter is Life poetry series on Thursday, January 19, at 7pm.  The Black Matter is Life: Poetry for Engagement and Overcoming examines the work of both well-known and little-known Black poets to explore and discuss the rich tradition and innovation Read More...

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s 16th Black New England Conference, “Where the Money Resides:  An Exploration of Racialized Access and Historic Exclusion from Wealth” is more than deep discussions and stimulating presentations, it also celebrates Black culture, and Black innovation and leadership. Join us on October 21, and 22, at Southern New Hampshire University in Read More...

Special thanks for Trail volunteer Jody Fernald for her expertise and extraordinary persistence in submitting the nomination for this site.  Greenland, NH – The National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom accepted Ona Judge Staines Burial Site, a privately owned property, as one of 17 new listings from the 44th round of applications, representing sites and programs in Read More...

JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director, announced that the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire has unanimously selected Jay Williams, president of the Hartford Foundation, as the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s 2022 Citizen of the Year.  Williams was selected by the committee from a slate of nominees from throughout New England.  Boggis said, “Jay Williams was chosen Read More...

Manchester, NH – The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is pleased to offer three distinctive pre-conference tours on Thursday, October 20 for attendees of our 2022 Black New England Conference, Where the Money Resides: An Exploration of Racialized Access & Historic Exclusion from Wealth.   Thursday, October 20 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM | 84 Silk Farm Rd, Concord, NH On the first Read More...

Press Release, Friday, September 2, 2022 Black New England Conference 2022, Where the Money Resides: An Exploration of Racialized Access & Historic Exclusion from Wealth, opens on Friday, October 21 with two provocative panels on the historic barriers African Americans faced as they sought to accumulate wealth. The first panel, “The Rise and Fall of Enslaved and Free Blacks of Read More...