Juneteenth

2023 

Local Juneteenth Opportunities

Saturday, June 10 | Bus Tour | Canterbury Shaker Village | Canterbury, NH

AFRICAN ROOTS: HERBAL MEDICINE, INOCULATION & THE SHAKER CONNECTION

Event Sponsored by: Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

Dr. Shirley Wajda 

Shirley Wajda, Ph.D., is Curator of Collections at Canterbury Shaker Village. She researches American material culture and everyday life—that is, she is a historian of stuff. Shirley has spent much of my adult life thinking and writing about the many lives of stuff—the objects humans create, grow, buy, sell, and give, use and alter, save and destroy. Her interdisciplinary research explores the ways humans understand their lives, their families, and their communities through material and visual culture. She earned her degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University.

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Wednesday, June 14 | Panel Discussion | 6:00 PM | Currier Museum | Manchester, NH

STILL, UPROOTED? HEARTACHE AND HOPE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Event sponsored by: Currier Museum of Art & Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

Grace Kindeke

Grace Kindeke is an artist, activist and the Program Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, NH program. She is a fierce advocate for justice, healing and liberation, grounding her work in a Black feminist, African-futurist and anti-oppression practice.

Rashida Eltag Mohamed 

Rashida Eltag Mohamed is the Domestic and Sexual Violence Victim Advocate at the Manchester Police Department. Mohamed, who is originally from Sudan, first came with her husband and two daughters to North Carolina and then moved to New Hampshire in 2001. 

Anzura Gakwaya 

Anzura Gakwaya works as the Community Building Specialist at NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire while pursuing her degree in Forensic Psychology as a graduate student at SNHU. Anzura immigrated to the United States as a refugee and has always had a desire to positively impact individuals in similar circumstances. 

Fisto Ndayishimiye

Fisto Ndayishimiye, who came to the United States in December 2016, was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where education is not common. Fisto's main focus has been on educating young people about leadership, communication, and responsibility. 

Registration information for in-person or virtual attendance

Friday, June 16 | 5:00 PM | Art Exhibit Opening Reception | 3S Artspace | Portsmouth, NH

IF YOU KNEW, LET IT BE US

Event Sponsored by: 3S Artspace

Full Exhibit Dates: June 16th-August 20th

Wallace III - Artist
McKinley Wallace III, a mixed-media painter and art educator, received his Master of Arts in Teaching and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). His studio work has been shown in solo exhibitions at MICA, Waller Gallery, and Creative Alliance as well as group shows at Band of Vices, Carroll Mansion, Washington Project for the Arts, Arlington Art Center, Main Line Art Center, Towson University, and Terrault Gallery. In recognition of his craft, he has received many awards, including a Maryland State Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award, Bethesda Painting (Young Artist) Award, and the Baker Artist Award.

"My mixed media works show individuals in and out of black and white spaces, shaped like rectangles and squares, a metaphor for segregation, defiance, and loss. The black space represents Black power, and the white space represents white supremacy. Depending on its size, shade, and placement, the blue can symbolize peace, tension, or the abuse of power."

There is no admission fee for this event - read more and register

Saturday, June 17 | 12:00 PM | Reggae Festival | Strawbery Banke | Portsmouth, NH

CHANTING DOWN BABYLON: REDEMPTION SONGS OF THE DIASPORA

Event Sponsored by: Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

This festival celebrates the music of the African Diaspora and honors the legacy of roots reggae.  Join us for performances by reggae legends: Marcia Griffiths, Brigadier Jerry, Nadine Southerland, Onix Brown, Lady G, and Glen Washington; Caribbean foods, craft vendors, and a chance to vibe to great music.

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Sunday, June 18 | 4:00 PM | Dance Performance | Music Hall | Portsmouth, NH

CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS: RECLAIMING BLACK NARRATIVES

Event Sponsored by: The Music Hall

Camille A. Brown and Dancers is a group that is reclaiming Black narratives for Black and brown people and elevating African Diasporic culture to its rightful place in American society. Spreading the joy of dance, they create and present performances that celebrate community, investigate historical and contemporary culture and recognize our shared humanity.

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Monday, June 19 | 10:00 AM | March to African Burying Ground | John Paul Jones Park | Kittery, ME

JUNETEENTH: THE DAY OF FREEDOM

Event Sponsored by: The Seacoast African American Cultural Center

March from John Paul Jones Park in Kittery, ME over the Memorial Bridge to the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, NH. Participants are invited to bring signs and carry tambourines in celebration of the freedom Juneteenth signifies.

This event is free and open to the public.

Monday, June 19 | 11:00 AM | African Drumming | African Burying Ground | Portsmouth, NH

THE HEALING RHYTHM OF THE DRUMS

This commemorative event, live streaming from the Portsmouth African Burying Ground, pays homage to the ancestors buried there. The healing beat of the drums provided by Akwaaba Ensemble, an African drumming and dance group, and a ceremony by Rev. Robert Thompson will honor the ancestors who survived upon these shores.

The event is free and open to the public.

Monday, June 19 | 2:00 PM | Gospel Choir Performance | South Church | Portsmouth, NH

FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA: WE ARE THE DRUMS

Event Sponsored by: Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

Howard Gospel Choir

The Howard University Gospel Choir Founded in the fall of 1968 by Melanie Russell (Lee) and Rosalind Thompkins (Lynch), the Howard Gospel Choir (HGC) of Howard University is the first collegiate choir of its kind in the world. As a result, HGC has pioneered an international legacy in gospel music ministry. With an active roster of seventy-plus persons that consists of students and alumni from Howard University, as well as others from the surrounding community, the choir is one of the largest religious life organizations on campus, operating under the historic Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. The Dean of the Chapel, the Reverend Dr. Bernard Richardson serves as the choir’s advisor.

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Monday, June 19 | 5:00 PM | Memorial Dedication | Ladd-Gilman House | Exeter, NH

HONORING BLACK SOLDIER JUDE HALL

Event Sponsored by: American Independence Museum

Jude Hall

Jude Hall, born 1747, joined the Continental Army after escaping enslavement. Having been officially freed after the war, Hall made his home in Exeter, NH. Although he served in many noted battles throughout the war, such as Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga and Monmouth, Hall was never formally recognized during his lifetime. The ceremony, jointly dedicated to fellow Black soldiers of the era who were not formally honored, will include an authentic 18th century musket salute.

This event is free and open to the public.

Reception and Art Exhibit "The Sum of Us"
June 24| 6-8:00pm| Seacoast African American Cultural Center, Portsmouth

Guests are invited to view two curated collections spanning more than thirty years.  Featured artist Richard Haynes, Jr. will speak about the show's message and his artistic process.   Many of the art pieces embody this year's Portsmouth NH 400th celebration.   Haynes is a culture keeper and visual storyteller.   

Please RSVP as food and space are limited.   On-site suggested donation is $15