The following excerpt was originally produced by Seacoastonline and shared through the Granite State News Collaborative. Read the full story here.
Records show in 1645 the first known Black person in Portsmouth was an enslaved man captured from Guinea who was sold to a man residing in the Piscataqua region.
That’s according to the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. The Portsmouth-based nonprofit organization is busy preparing for 2023 Juneteenth events. The federal holiday on June 19 marks the date in 1865 when southern slaves were told they were no longer enslaved, more than two years after being granted freedom by the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Black Heritage Trail’s Juneteenth festivities this year — titled “Reading the Bones: Celebrating the African Diaspora” — are running through the Monday, June 19 holiday. The Juneteenth events are happening as Portsmouth commemorates the 400th anniversary since its settlement in 1623.
“We wanted to include other voices in that celebration other than the colonial voices that were being celebrated,” JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail, noted of the city’s 400th anniversary. “New Hampshire has a richer history that goes before and beyond colonization. We thought we would focus on the African diaspora and start where the African-American story started in our region.”
Other Juneteenth events in NH
Organizations in Keene and across the Monadnock region are hosting a series of Juneteenth events this weekend. That includes a June 16 talk at Brewbakers Cafe hosted by Zaron Burnett, writer and creator of the podcast Black Cowboys. More details here.
The city of Lebanon, New Hampshire, is partnering with the town of Hartford, Vermont, for a Juneteenth Celebration on June 17 in White River Junction. More details here.
In Claremont, a Juneteenth Bike Parade and a Community Picnic are planned for June 19. More details here.
Several community groups in Milford are hosting a Juneteenth Celebration at Bicentennial Park (or the Church of Our Savior, in case of inclement weather) on June 19. More details here.
In Warner, the Pillsbury Free Library and the Warner Historical Society are hosting a Juneteenth National Independence Day Program on June 19. More details here.
The Hop Knot in Manchester is hosting a Juneteenth Block Party on June 25. More details here.
