Events

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

On this special Ona Judge Day Tour, you will hear the true story of a young woman's quest for freedom. See the waterfront where Ona landed and visit the Portsmouth properties of some of America's most famous families - the Langdons, Warners, and Lears - whose stories are also bound to her incredible journey.

In 2022, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a bill that declared May 21 st to be Ona Judge Day. The declaration honors that day in 1796 on which Ona Maria Judge Staines left the residence of President George and Martha Washington in Philadelphia, boarded a ship to Portsmouth, and lived a long and dignified life in New Hampshire, free, but a fugitive.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

She Claimed Her Freedom. Now We Make Her Seen.

Join us on Saturday, May 23, at 2 PM at 222 Court Street for the official unveiling of the Ona Judge Stains mural. 

More than two centuries after her courageous self-emancipation from the household of George and Martha Washington, Ona’s story will no longer live quietly in the margins of history. It will stand boldly, publicly, and permanently—painted into the landscape where she claimed her freedom.

This mural, created by acclaimed artist Manuel Ramirez of Positive Street Art, is part of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s 5 to Know initiative. 

The program will include guest speakers and a reception featuring Pulitzer Prize finalist and author Erica Armstrong Dunbar, whose work has helped bring Ona Judge’s story to national prominence.

Step into history and leave your footprint. 

This is more than an unveiling. This is history in the making.

Read more about the mural project here. 

NOTICE: THIS TOUR IS FULLY BOOKED.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This tour follows the extraordinary story of Ona Marie Judge, a young woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who made the courageous decision to free herself rather than remain in bondage to America’s First Family.

In the spring of 1796, Ona left the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community. She journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life amid the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll trace Ona’s path to freedom, beginning at the harbor where she arrived and continuing through the neighborhoods and homes connected to some of the nation’s most prominent families. 

Along the way, you will learn about the President's relentless efforts to capture her, and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Bob Sheppard

Join Sankofa Scholar Bob Sheppard, son of a Tuskegee Airman, for a powerful new walking tour exploring the legacy of Black military service from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War era.

Walk the streets of Portsmouth as you uncover the story of Prince Whipple, who fought for freedom during the American Revolution; hear about the imprisonment of Harvey and Daniels at the Navy Yard during the Vietnam War; and learn about Rosary Cooper’s vital contributions on the home front during World War II.

Led by a guide with a personal legacy of military service, this story-driven tour invites you to reflect on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and belonging.

Be among the first to experience this new tour—reserve your spot today.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: David Nelson
Town: Milford, NH

Long before her name became known in literary history, Harriet E. Wilson was navigating life in the small town of Milford, New Hampshire.

Wilson, the first known African American to publish a novel on the North American continent, transformed the pain and injustice of her early life into Our Nig (1859), a groundbreaking work that challenged the belief that racism and exploitation were confined to the South.

Born free but bound to indentured servitude until age 18, Harriet endured a childhood marked by labor, instability, and exclusion. This moving tour traces the places connected to her life as a child-servant, young mother, widow, and writer—revealing the experiences that shaped her voice and legacy.

Along the way, you’ll learn about Harriet’s only son, George, whose tragic death in a poorhouse reflected the harsh realities she struggled to overcome. You’ll also discover how Wilson later reinvented herself as a Spiritualist and public lecturer, earning a living by telling her story on her own terms.

Beginning in downtown Milford, the tour concludes at the Harriet Wilson Memorial—the first life-size public statue in New Hampshire dedicated to commemorating a Black person.

This is more than a literary history. It is the story of a woman who refused to disappear.

Meeting Place: The Oval in Milford, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Daniel Comly

Join Daniel Comly for a moving walking tour that reveals the deeply human stories of love, family, and resilience in early Portsmouth.

Guided through careful research and a commitment to sharing histories beyond his own lived experience, Daniel brings forward the voices and lives of Black families who, in a time marked by enslavement, separation, and uncertainty, formed relationships, married, raised children, and built strong communities.

As you walk through the streets where their lives unfolded, you'll hear powerful, true stories of connection and courage—stories of families who refused to be defined by the limits placed on them and instead claimed their place, their dignity, and their future.

Through storytelling and conversation, this tour invites you to reflect on what it means to build a home, sustain love, and fight to belong

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholars & Tour Guides: Barbara Rimkunas & Barbara Ward
Towns: Portsmouth, Newmarket & Exeter, NH
Bus Tour Cost: $55

Join the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Independence Museum and the Exeter Historical Society, for a moving, immersive exploration of New Hampshire’s Black Revolutionary War history.

The morning begins in Portsmouth with an opening ceremony and a musket salute, grounding us in the revolutionary moment when ideas of liberty and independence were proclaimed—but not yet extended to all. From there, participants will board a guided bus tour that traces the lives and legacies of Black patriots, including Prince Whipple of Portsmouth, Wentworth Cheswell of Newmarket, and E. Jude Hall of Exeter.

Guests will also visit the American Independence Museum for lunch and a special exhibition exploring New Hampshire’s role in the struggle for independence—while reflecting on whose freedom was won, and whose remained unfinished.

Meeting Place: Goodwin Park, Portsmouth, NH, at 10:00 AM

** This tour is part of the 2026 Juneteenth Celebrations and is limited to 30 people. **

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Bob Sheppard

Join Sankofa Scholar Bob Sheppard, son of a Tuskegee Airman, for a powerful new walking tour exploring the legacy of Black military service from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War era.

Walk the streets of Portsmouth as you uncover the story of Prince Whipple, who fought for freedom during the American Revolution; hear about the imprisonment of Harvey and Daniels at the Navy Yard during the Vietnam War; and learn about Rosary Cooper’s vital contributions on the home front during World War II.

Led by a guide with a personal legacy of military service, this story-driven tour invites you to reflect on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and belonging.

Be among the first to experience this new tour—reserve your spot today.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH

Sankofa Scholars & Tour Guides: Wanda Dorlean and Erika Varga
Town: Kittery, ME

This tour describes how Africans and their descendants, residents of a northern Atlantic port town, used their resilience and cultural traditions of mutual aid to establish one of Maine's earliest African American communities. You will hear stories about enslaved and freed people living here from colonial times and "Black Yankees" of the modern era, a history often ignored and rarely identified with the heritage of New England.

Meeting Place: Parking Lot of Lil's Cafe | 7 Wallingford Square, Downtown Kittery, ME.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Jenny Tibbits (they/them)
Town: Dover, NH

Dover is steeped deep in rich Black history. On this tour, you'll hear about the people enslaved by the Waldron family and how the cotton mill built in Dover fueled slavery in the South. You'll discover the Brown/Mitchell family: Nellie Brown Mitchell (renowned Black opera singer), her brother Edward Brown, (lawyer, who submitted to Congress a petition for a national anti-lynching bill and first Black justice of the peace in New Hampshire), and her husband Charles Mitchell (Civil War hero and first Black person elected to the Massachusetts legislature).

Join us to discover their amazing stories of community, resilience, and courage.

Meeting Place: Woodman Museum | 15 Summer St, Dover, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: David Nelson
Town: Milford, NH

Long before her name became known in literary history, Harriet E. Wilson was navigating life in the small town of Milford, New Hampshire.

Wilson, the first known African American to publish a novel on the North American continent, transformed the pain and injustice of her early life into Our Nig (1859), a groundbreaking work that challenged the belief that racism and exploitation were confined to the South.

Born free but bound to indentured servitude until age 18, Harriet endured a childhood marked by labor, instability, and exclusion. This moving tour traces the places connected to her life as a child-servant, young mother, widow, and writer—revealing the experiences that shaped her voice and legacy.

Along the way, you’ll learn about Harriet’s only son, George, whose tragic death in a poorhouse reflected the harsh realities she struggled to overcome. You’ll also discover how Wilson later reinvented herself as a Spiritualist and public lecturer, earning a living by telling her story on her own terms.

Beginning in downtown Milford, the tour concludes at the Harriet Wilson Memorial—the first life-size public statue in New Hampshire dedicated to commemorating a Black person.

This is more than a literary history. It is the story of a woman who refused to disappear.

Meeting Place: The Oval in Milford, NH.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Daniel Comly

Join Daniel Comly for a moving walking tour that reveals the deeply human stories of love, family, and resilience in early Portsmouth.

Guided through careful research and a commitment to sharing histories beyond his own lived experience, Daniel brings forward the voices and lives of Black families who, in a time marked by enslavement, separation, and uncertainty, formed relationships, married, raised children, and built strong communities.

As you walk through the streets where their lives unfolded, you'll hear powerful, true stories of connection and courage—stories of families who refused to be defined by the limits placed on them and instead claimed their place, their dignity, and their future.

Through storytelling and conversation, this tour invites you to reflect on what it means to build a home, sustain love, and fight to belong

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Walk the streets of Portsmouth and trace the powerful connections between past and present on a journey spanning more than three centuries.

Led by Sankofa Scholar Nur Shoop, this walking tour brings historic landmarks to life—from the early 1600s to the twentieth century—revealing how local stories are deeply connected to national and global movements for freedom and justice.

Drawing on colonial newspapers and firsthand accounts, you’ll uncover Portsmouth’s role in the Atlantic slave trade, the courageous actions of runaway freedom-seekers, and the fierce debates between abolitionists and their opponents. As the story unfolds, you’ll see how these tensions carried into the Civil War and beyond.

The tour continues into the twentieth century, when the legacy of this history shaped ongoing struggles for equality, as reflected in efforts to end segregation in housing, employment, and public life right here in Portsmouth.

This is more than a look at the past; it is an opportunity to understand how history lives on in the present.

Meeting place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Daniel Comly

Join Daniel Comly for a moving walking tour that reveals the deeply human stories of love, family, and resilience in early Portsmouth.

Guided through careful research and a commitment to sharing histories beyond his own lived experience, Daniel brings forward the voices and lives of Black families who, in a time marked by enslavement, separation, and uncertainty, formed relationships, married, raised children, and built strong communities.

As you walk through the streets where their lives unfolded, you'll hear powerful, true stories of connection and courage—stories of families who refused to be defined by the limits placed on them and instead claimed their place, their dignity, and their future.

Through storytelling and conversation, this tour invites you to reflect on what it means to build a home, sustain love, and fight to belong

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This tour follows the extraordinary story of Ona Marie Judge, a young woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who made the courageous decision to free herself rather than remain in bondage to America’s First Family.

In the spring of 1796, Ona left the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community. She journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life amid the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll trace Ona’s path to freedom, beginning at the harbor where she arrived and continuing through the neighborhoods and homes connected to some of the nation’s most prominent families.

Along the way, you will learn about the President's relentless efforts to capture her, and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Garrett Walker

Step onto Portsmouth’s waterfront and into the world of Black mariners who found both opportunity and uncertainty on the open sea.

Between 1740 and 1865, seafaring offered one of the few paths to independence for Black men, both enslaved and free. Some were forced into labor aboard ships, while others seized the chance to earn wages, travel the world, and claim a measure of freedom beyond the constraints of life on land.

On this immersive walking tour, you’ll encounter the story of Jack Staines, a Black mariner whose life intersected with one of the most remarkable freedom stories in American history—his wife, Ona Judge Staines, who escaped enslavement by George and Martha Washington.

As you move through Portsmouth’s historic streets and along its waterfront, you’ll experience the city through the eyes of those who lived between land and sea, navigating danger, opportunity, and the constant question of freedom. This is a story of risk, resilience, and the search for independence in a world that offered few safe harbors.

Join the tour and discover how the sea shaped the lives of Portsmouth’s Black mariners.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Jenny Tibbits (they/them)
Town: Dover, NH

Dover is steeped deep in rich Black history. On this tour, you'll hear about the people enslaved by the Waldron family and how the cotton mill built in Dover fueled slavery in the South. You'll discover the Brown/Mitchell family: Nellie Brown Mitchell (renowned Black opera singer), her brother Edward Brown, (lawyer, who submitted to Congress a petition for a national anti-lynching bill and first Black justice of the peace in New Hampshire), and her husband Charles Mitchell (Civil War hero and first Black person elected to the Massachusetts legislature).

Join us to discover their amazing stories of community, resilience, and courage.

Meeting Place: Woodman Museum | 15 Summer St, Dover, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Barbara Rimkunas
Town: Exeter, NH

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 and continue to shape its future. Learn about Exeter's legacy related to Atlantic slave trading and hear stories about African Americans who helped shape the town's history.

Learning Exeter's history can contribute to a richer community dialogue about its present and future.

Meeting Place: Exeter Town Hall | 10 Front St, Exeter.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Jenny Tibbits (they/them)
Town: Dover, NH

Dover is steeped deep in rich Black history. On this tour, you'll hear about the people enslaved by the Waldron family and how the cotton mill built in Dover fueled slavery in the South. You'll discover the Brown/Mitchell family: Nellie Brown Mitchell (renowned Black opera singer), her brother Edward Brown, (lawyer, who submitted to Congress a petition for a national anti-lynching bill and first Black justice of the peace in New Hampshire), and her husband Charles Mitchell (Civil War hero and first Black person elected to the Massachusetts legislature).

Join us to discover their amazing stories of community, resilience, and courage.

Meeting Place: Woodman Museum | 15 Summer St, Dover, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Daniel Comly

Join Daniel Comly for a moving walking tour that reveals the deeply human stories of love, family, and resilience in early Portsmouth.

Guided through careful research and a commitment to sharing histories beyond his own lived experience, Daniel brings forward the voices and lives of Black families who, in a time marked by enslavement, separation, and uncertainty, formed relationships, married, raised children, and built strong communities.

As you walk through the streets where their lives unfolded, you'll hear powerful, true stories of connection and courage—stories of families who refused to be defined by the limits placed on them and instead claimed their place, their dignity, and their future.

Through storytelling and conversation, this tour invites you to reflect on what it means to build a home, sustain love, and fight to belong

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Journey into the world of Black travelers who navigated a segregated America, where every journey required courage, strategy, and community. This walking tour explores the Portsmouth sites that offered safety and welcome at a time when racial discrimination in the North often barred African Americans from hotels, restaurants, and public spaces.

Inspired by the Green Book, you’ll discover how travelers relied on networks of Black-owned businesses, private homes, and church communities to move without fear of humiliation or harm.

But the guidebook tells only part of the story. As you walk through the city, you’ll uncover the lives behind the listings—the people who opened their doors, the quiet acts of resistance, and the connections that made travel a joy.

You’ll also learn how these spaces supported civil rights organizing—and how many disappeared after 1964—leaving stories that continue to shape our understanding of belonging and access today.

This is a journey into the hidden networks of resilience that enabled freedom of movement.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Eric Aldrich
Town: Hancock, NH
Cost: $35

Join JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and Hancock writer Eric Aldrich to see where the Due family lived and farmed in Hancock in the late 1770s and early 1800s. We'll visit the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests' Welch Family Farm and Forest and see the former homestead of the Due family, described in early U.S. censuses as free people of color. Also living here off and on was Jack Ware, enslaved as a child in Africa, who later became free.

We'll take a short hike to see where Betsey Due lived until the 1840s and hear Betsey's story of resistance to the Hancock church. We'll also hear from the Forest Society's Dave Anderson about the abandonment of New Hampshire farms in the 1800s and creative ways that the Welch family and others managed to continue farming into the 20th century. There will be some light trail hiking with uneven terrain and little elevation gain. Total hike distance both ways, 1.5 miles. Tour begins with a short bus ride from Hancock Town Offices to Welch Farm.

Co-sponsored with the Harris Center for Conservation Education and Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests.

Meeting Place: Hancock Town Offices, Hancock, NH

** Limited to 30 people. Sturdy shoes/boots are recommended. **

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Barbara Rimkunas
Town: Exeter, NH

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 and continue to shape its future. Learn about Exeter's legacy related to Atlantic slave trading and hear stories about African Americans who helped shape the town's history.

Learning Exeter's history can contribute to a richer community dialogue about its present and future.

Meeting Place: Exeter Town Hall | 10 Front St, Exeter.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Garrett Walker

Step onto Portsmouth’s waterfront and into the world of Black mariners who found both opportunity and uncertainty on the open sea.

Between 1740 and 1865, seafaring offered one of the few paths to independence for Black men, both enslaved and free. Some were forced into labor aboard ships, while others seized the chance to earn wages, travel the world, and claim a measure of freedom beyond the constraints of life on land.

On this immersive walking tour, you’ll encounter the story of Jack Staines, a Black mariner whose life intersected with one of the most remarkable freedom stories in American history—his wife, Ona Judge Staines, who escaped enslavement by George and Martha Washington.

As you move through Portsmouth’s historic streets and along its waterfront, you’ll experience the city through the eyes of those who lived between land and sea, navigating danger, opportunity, and the constant question of freedom. This is a story of risk, resilience, and the search for independence in a world that offered few safe harbors.

Join the tour and discover how the sea shaped the lives of Portsmouth’s Black mariners.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This tour follows the extraordinary story of Ona Marie Judge, a young woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who made the courageous decision to free herself rather than remain in bondage to America’s First Family.

In the spring of 1796, Ona left the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community. She journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life amid the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll trace Ona’s path to freedom, beginning at the harbor where she arrived and continuing through the neighborhoods and homes connected to some of the nation’s most prominent families.

Along the way, you will learn about the President's relentless efforts to capture her, and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholars & Tour Guides: Lillian Buckley and Meaghan Dunn
Town: Kittery, ME

This tour describes how Africans and their descendants, residents of a northern Atlantic port town, used their resilience and cultural traditions of mutual aid to establish one of Maine's earliest African American communities. You will hear stories about enslaved and freed people living here from colonial times and "Black Yankees" of the modern era, a history often ignored and rarely identified with the heritage of New England.

Meeting Place: Parking Lot of Lil's Cafe | 7 Wallingford Square, Downtown Kittery, ME.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Barbara Rimkunas
Town: Exeter, NH

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 and continue to shape its future. Learn about Exeter's legacy related to Atlantic slave trading and hear stories about African Americans who helped shape the town's history.

Learning Exeter's history can contribute to a richer community dialogue about its present and future.

Meeting Place: Exeter Town Hall | 10 Front St, Exeter.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guides: Rebecca Courser & Lynn Clark
Town: Warner, NH
Bus Tour Cost: $35

Rebecca Courser and Lynn Clark will lead a bus tour to explore the Black history of the Davisville section of Warner. We will see locations in Davisville where Black residents lived, worked, and attended school in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Meeting Place: Warner Town Hall | 5 East Main Street, Warner, NH
** This tour will be from 1 PM to 3 PM. Please wear sturdy walking shoes. **

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Walk the streets of Portsmouth and trace the powerful connections between past and present on a journey spanning more than three centuries.

Led by Sankofa Scholar Nur Shoop, this walking tour brings historic landmarks to life—from the early 1600s to the twentieth century—revealing how local stories are deeply connected to national and global movements for freedom and justice.

Drawing on colonial newspapers and firsthand accounts, you’ll uncover Portsmouth’s role in the Atlantic slave trade, the courageous actions of runaway freedom-seekers, and the fierce debates between abolitionists and their opponents. As the story unfolds, you’ll see how these tensions carried into the Civil War and beyond.

The tour continues into the twentieth century, when the legacy of this history shaped ongoing struggles for equality, as reflected in efforts to end segregation in housing, employment, and public life right here in Portsmouth.

This is more than a look at the past; it is an opportunity to understand how history lives on in the present.

Meeting place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: David Nelson
Town: Milford, NH
Special Bus Tour Cost: $35

Step into the life of Harriet E. Wilson, the first known African American to publish a novel in North America—and a woman whose story challenges what we think we know about freedom in the North.

In celebration of the 250th, this special bus tour extends beyond downtown to trace Harriet’s life across the broader landscape of her early years. Visit the site of her birth, the house where she lived, and other significant locations that shaped her journey—places not accessible on a traditional walking tour.

Born free in New Hampshire, Harriet was orphaned at a young age and bound into indentured servitude, where she endured hardship and isolation as she navigated a world that denied her true independence.

Through guided storytelling and reflection, you’ll encounter the experiences that inspired her groundbreaking novel Our Nig (1859)—a bold, deeply personal work revealing how the shadows of slavery extended far beyond the South.

You’ll also learn about Harriet’s life after publication—her struggle to survive as a widow, the heartbreaking loss of her son George, and her later work as a Spiritualist and public speaker, during which she shared her story on her own terms.

This is more than a literary history—it is a journey through place and time, tracing a life of resilience, voice, and truth-telling.

Meeting Place: The Oval in Milford, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This tour follows the extraordinary story of Ona Marie Judge, a young woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who made the courageous decision to free herself rather than remain in bondage to America’s First Family.

In the spring of 1796, Ona left the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community. She journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life amid the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll trace Ona’s path to freedom, beginning at the harbor where she arrived and continuing through the neighborhoods and homes connected to some of the nation’s most prominent families.

Along the way, you will learn about the President's relentless efforts to capture her, and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Walk the streets of Portsmouth and trace the powerful connections between past and present on a journey spanning more than three centuries.

Led by Sankofa Scholar Nur Shoop, this walking tour brings historic landmarks to life—from the early 1600s to the twentieth century—revealing how local stories are deeply connected to national and global movements for freedom and justice.

Drawing on colonial newspapers and firsthand accounts, you’ll uncover Portsmouth’s role in the Atlantic slave trade, the courageous actions of runaway freedom-seekers, and the fierce debates between abolitionists and their opponents. As the story unfolds, you’ll see how these tensions carried into the Civil War and beyond.

The tour continues into the twentieth century, when the legacy of this history shaped ongoing struggles for equality, as reflected in efforts to end segregation in housing, employment, and public life right here in Portsmouth.

This is more than a look at the past; it is an opportunity to understand how history lives on in the present.

Meeting place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Bob Sheppard

Join Sankofa Scholar Bob Sheppard, son of a Tuskegee Airman, for a powerful new walking tour exploring the legacy of Black military service from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War era.

Walk the streets of Portsmouth as you uncover the story of Prince Whipple, who fought for freedom during the American Revolution; hear about the imprisonment of Harvey and Daniels at the Navy Yard during the Vietnam War; and learn about Rosary Cooper’s vital contributions on the home front during World War II.

Led by a guide with a personal legacy of military service, this story-driven tour invites you to reflect on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and belonging.

Be among the first to experience this new tour—reserve your spot today.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sunday, February 22 | 2:00 PM  | Portsmouth Public Library  | Portsmouth, NH

A new generation of African American leaders is shaping the future of oratory through politics, activism, poetry, and ministry. This closing conversation highlights emerging voices that blend tradition with innovation, demonstrating how young speakers, poets, and activists continue to inspire, mobilize, and lead movements for justice in the 21st century.

Sunday, February 15 | 2:00 PM  | Portsmouth Public Library  | Portsmouth, NH

From the stirring voices of Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, and Fannie Lou Hamer to contemporary trailblazers like Amanda Gorman and Imani Perry, Black women have advanced truth-telling through the power of speech. This discussion celebrates their rhetorical brilliance, unflinching advocacy, and unique ability to weave personal experience with collective struggle in the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

Sunday, February 8 | 4:00 PM  | Temple Israel  | Portsmouth, NH

The Black preacher has long held a sacred and central role in African American public speech. Beyond their role as religious leaders, preachers have historically served as political voices, cultural transmitters, community organizers, and skilled rhetoricians. This dialogue explores how the pulpit evolved into both a sanctuary and a platform for liberation, influencing the moral and political discourse within communities.

The Black Heritage Trail of NH, The Music Hall Lounge, and New Hampshire PBS present a special screening of excerpts from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Following the screening, is a moderated conversation between author and historian Glenn Knoblock and Black heritage Trail executive director JerriAnne Boggis, examining the role of African Americans in the American Revolution.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a six-part, 12-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, examines how America's founding turned the world upside down. Thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements around the globe.

NHPBS in partnership with organizations across the state will host a series of interactive community screeners and conversations exploring the themes of democracy, liberty, freedom and independence. 

Sunday, February 1 | 2:00 PM  | Portsmouth Public Library  | Portsmouth, NH

This opening conversation traces the evolution of Black speechmaking, from the fiery antislavery addresses of Frederick Douglass delivered here in New Hampshire to the soaring cadences of Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Malcolm X. Participants will explore how oratory served as both a survival strategy and a weapon of resistance, affirming African American speech as a vital force for social change.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Step into the streets of Portsmouth and trace the powerful connections between past and present through a journey that spans more than three centuries.

This walking tour brings historic landmarks to life—from the early 1600s through the twentieth century—revealing how local stories are deeply tied to national and global movements for freedom and justice.

Drawing from colonial newspapers and firsthand accounts, you’ll uncover Portsmouth’s role in the Atlantic slave trade, the courageous actions of freedom-seekers, and the fierce debates between abolitionists and those who opposed them. 

The tour continues into the twentieth century, where the legacy of this history shaped ongoing struggles for equality. This is more than a look at the past—it is an opportunity to understand how history lives on in the present.

Meeting place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH 

19th Annual Black New England Conference:
The State of The Union: A Critical Perspective on Black America from 1776 to 2026

Location: Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH

#BNEC2025

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Dan Comly

Despite many obstacles, Black men and women — both enslaved and free — met, nurtured relationships, married, and built families. Learn about obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families describe how Portsmouth’s community of African people and their descendants claimed their place as Americans.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Tour Guides: Rebecca Courser & Lynn Clark 

We will meet at the Soldier’s Monument in Warner and carpool to the village of Waterloo where we will explore its Black history. The tour will include the village school, train station, Camp Newton (a summer camp for children whose parents were overseas missionaries), and homes that Black people worked in, owned, or rented. Employers Nehemiah Ordway, one time governor of the Dakota territories and U.S. Senator William E. Chandler summered in Waterloo and ties the little village into national politics. Bring a folding chair, water, and wear closed-toed walking shoes.

Meeting Place: Warner Town Hall | 5 East Main Street, Warner, NH

This tour will be from 1 PM to 3 PM. Please wear sturdy walking shoes.

SATURDAY, October 4, 2025 | 2:00 PM 

Location: St. Paul’s Church | 21 Centre Street | Concord, NH 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Dan Comly

Despite many obstacles, Black men and women — both enslaved and free — met, nurtured relationships, married, and built families. Learn about obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families describe how Portsmouth’s community of African people and their descendants claimed their place as Americans.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2025 | 2:00 PM| Warner Historical Society

Location: Warner Town Hall | 5 E Main Street | Warner, NH 

Sankofa Tour Guide: Eric Aldrich

Nestled below the summits of Mount Skatutakee and Thumb Mountain in Hancock, NH, Jack's pond is a remote and inspiring place. It is named after Jack, a formerly enslaved man who became free and lived near the pond from the late 1700s until his death in 1826. The pond and surrounding land are now protected and managed by the Harris Center for Conservation Education.

Join Eric Aldrich and Susie Spikol of the Harris Center for a 2.5-mile round-trip hike to the pond, where we'll hear about Jack and his close connection with the Due family, free Black people who also lived in Hancock at the time.

The tour is on a hiking trail, moderately strenuous. Sturdy shoes/boots are recommended.

Meeting Place: The Harris Center | 83 King's Highway, Hancock, NH

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 | 2:00 PM | Manchester Historical Association

Location: Millyard Museum | 200 Bedford Street | Manchester, NH 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Dan Comly

Despite many obstacles, Black men and women — both enslaved and free — met, nurtured relationships, married, and built families. Learn about obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families describe how Portsmouth’s community of African people and their descendants claimed their place as Americans.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Lionel Loveless

Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865, when Black mariners sailed on whalers, warships, and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800, most seamen were free, legally or by self-emancipation, to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship. On this tour, you will meet Jack Staines, husband to Ona Judge Staines, who was enslaved by the President and Martha Washington, and experience Portsmouth through the life of one of its Black mariners.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Saniyah Bolton

Local newspapers carried merchants' ads for ships returning to the port of Portsmouth laden with cargo from Atlantic Slave Trade ports on the West Coast of Africa, the West Indies, and the Atlantic coastal cities of Colonial America from Maine to Louisiana. 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 a ship. See how slavery in the North compared to the South.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Lionel Loveless

Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865, when Black mariners sailed on whalers, warships, and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800, most seamen were free, legally or by self-emancipation, to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship. On this tour, you will meet Jack Staines, husband to Ona Judge Staines, who was enslaved by the President and Martha Washington, and experience Portsmouth through the life of one of its Black mariners.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Saniyah Bolton

Local newspapers carried merchants' ads for ships returning to the port of Portsmouth laden with cargo from Atlantic Slave Trade ports on the West Coast of Africa, the West Indies, and the Atlantic coastal cities of Colonial America from Maine to Louisiana. 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 a ship. See how slavery in the North compared to the South.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Dan Comly

Despite many obstacles, Black men and women — both enslaved and free — met, nurtured relationships, married, and built families. Learn about obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families describe how Portsmouth’s community of African people and their descendants claimed their place as Americans.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Step into the world of Black travelers navigating a segregated America, where every journey demanded courage, strategy, and community. This walking tour explores the Portsmouth sites that provided safety and welcome when racial discrimination in the North often barred African Americans from hotels, restaurants, and public spaces.

Inspired by the Negro Motorist Green Book, you’ll discover how travelers relied on networks of Black-owned businesses, private homes, and church communities to move without fear of humiliation or harm.

But the guidebook tells only part of the story. As you walk through the city, you will hear stories about the individuals who opened their doors, the quiet acts of resistance, and the connections that made travel, joy, and movement possible.

You’ll also learn how these spaces supported civil rights organizing, how many disappeared after 1964, leaving only the stories behind.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Meet at John Paul Jones Memorial Park in Kittery, ME

Thursday, June 19
9:30 AM

African Burying Ground Memorial
Portsmouth, NH

Thursday, June 19
11:00 AM

The Music Hall
Portsmouth, NH

Sunday, June 15
4:00 PM

Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Ave
Portsmouth, NH

Saturday, June 14
12:30 PM

The Venue at Portwalk Place
Portsmouth, NH

Saturday, June 14
7:00 PM
$45 Per Person

North Cemetery
Portsmouth, NH

Friday, June 13
1:00 PM

3S Artspace
319 Vaughan Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Friday, June 13
6:00 PM

Portsmouth, NH

Tuesday and Wednesday
June 10-11
School Tours

Temple Israel
200 State Street
Portsmouth, NH

Saturday, June 8
2:00 PM

BHTNH Headquarters
222 Court Street
Portsmouth, NH

Saturday, June 7
2:00 PM

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Lionel Loveless

Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865, when Black mariners sailed on whalers, warships, and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800, most seamen were free, legally or by self-emancipation, to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship. On this tour, you will meet Jack Staines, husband to Ona Judge Staines, who was enslaved by the President and Martha Washington, and experience Portsmouth through the life of one of its Black mariners.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Saniyah Bolton

Local newspapers carried merchants' ads for ships returning to the port of Portsmouth laden with cargo from Atlantic Slave Trade ports on the West Coast of Africa, the West Indies, and the Atlantic coastal cities of Colonial America from Maine to Louisiana. 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 a ship. See how slavery in the North compared to the South.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

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 the 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 revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory!

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

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 multiple forms of discrimination and marginalization, exacerbating the struggle for recognition, equality, and justice.

From the civil rights movement to voting rights to the LGBTQ+ rights movement, individuals at the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation have played pivotal roles in challenging oppressive systems and advocating for social change. Individuals who navigate multiple marginalized identities continue to influence contemporary experiences through the arts, culture, and activism.

The 18th Annual Black New England Conference will highlight the history of Black LGBTQ trailblazers and their contributions to American history, explore evolving cultural norms, gender roles and presentation, depiction in popular culture, and emerging movements, and offer a forward-looking perspective, envisioning potential future trends and possibilities for greater inclusivity, equity, and social change. We celebrate success stories of individuals and institutions that serve as beacons of hope for current generations to live out their identities authentically.