RESILIENT NH
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RESILIENT NH
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NHBR.COM
Learning from NH’s Black history Suffering inflicted in enslavement is ‘beyond anything else you can imagine’ BY A M A N D A A N D R E W S
“All this upheaval is really a resetting of our relevance in society. What work we want to be doing and how we want to do that work.”
JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of Black Heritage Trail NH, stands at a trail marker in Portsmouth. (Photo by Allegra Boverman)
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IT’S OFTEN SAID THAT THE GRANITE STATE LACKS DIVERSITY, but New Hampshire’s history shows a different story. Thanks to the efforts of the Black Heritage Trail NH, we are now learning that people of color have called the Granite State home since the 17th century. “Every day we get a piece of somebody’s story and you go, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know that,’” said JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail. “As a person of color, finding these stories in New Hampshire, in a place that often tells us there are no people of color, we’re finding these links to the 1600s — these stories that are full and fleshed, (showing) what it means to be human.” Based in Portsmouth, the Black Heritage Trail NH (BHTNH) helps to promote African American history in the state to create more inclusive communities. Through the nonprofit’s efforts with educational programs and guided trail tours, we’re constantly learning about resilient and courageous African Americans. For instance, Boggis told a story about when the Pittsfield Historical Society placed a marker to honor a formerly enslaved man who was also a Revolutionary War veteran. At the unveiling, both his descendants and those of his enslaver came together. “That’s what reconciliation is all about. Looking at these stories and trying to reconcile that past and come to an understanding,” shares Boggis. “These stories are totally entwined.” There’s another story that tells of a Black woman from Henniker, Lucy Prince, who ended up traveling to Russia to work for the czar, and then went to Jamaica to work for freedom fighters. “She traveled to all of these places from a life of enslavement to world traveler. An activist in that time is just amazing. And we see those stories over and over again. When you look at that and the adversities, coming from enslavement, from poverty, where you’re treated less than human, to actually define yourself in an environment that doesn’t define you, it’s beyond anything else you can imagine,” said Boggis. To help share these local stories, the Black Heritage Trail NH relies on in-person meetings and tours — initiatives that were upended due to the pandemic. “Not being able to meet, not having that personal contact, made our work a lot more difficult. … The good thing is we were able to reach a much larger audience (with Zoom), and that was not only due to Covid but also to the George Floyd murder.” Because of these major events occurring around the same time, “people (were) at home, watching the news more. Being isolated gave people that moment to reflect,” said Boggis. “We had to look at how we got here, and our role in the community got really important.” Boggis explained that in order for change to happen in our communities, “it needs the heart to be involved. For the heart to be involved, you need to be in person.” Moving educational programs online is challenging work, but staffing was also a major issue for the organization.
