Sailing Into the Past:

A BLACK JACK OF THE SEAFARING TRADE

Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865. Black sailors sailed on whalers, warships and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800 most seamen were free to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship.

In September, the Gundalow Company of Portsmouth added a uniquely local angle to this tradition by presenting Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Kevin Wade Mitchel as Jack Staines, performing a living history reenactment aboard the gundalow Piscataqua. In character as a seafaring “Black Jack,” Mitchel spun tales of old Portsmouth, even introducing a mariner who was the husband of Ona Marie Judge, the escaped servant of George and Martha Washington.

Kevin Wade Mitchel can often be seen providing insights on the Sankofa Guided Walking Tours of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, and this special cruise is not the first nor last collaboration between the Black Heritage Trail and the Gundalow Company. “We’ve been planning this one for years,” says Donata Lutz of the Gundalow Company, “but then Covid happened.” She says they plan to present more such glimpses into the region’s Black history and heritage and are making complimentary cruises available to groups of veterans and families at risk to help extend their mission to protect the Piscataqua region’s maritime heritage and environment through education and action.

A statement from the Gundalow Company reads: “All people have the right to access, enjoy, and learn from the Piscataqua region’s heritage and ecology. We recognize that systemic inequality and exclusion have infringed upon this right. The Gundalow Company is committed to working in partnership with those who have been historically and are currently excluded from access to and stewardship of the local waterways. Just as the Piscataqua River is strengthened by every stream, river, and creek that flows to it, our community is strengthened by individuals from a diversity of experiences, identities, cultures, heritages, perspectives, and values, who historically and currently use, access, and enjoy the resources of the Piscataqua Watershed.”

For more information or to book a Gundalow tour, call (603) 433-9505 or visit gundalow.org/specials/.

— WRITTEN BY 603 DIVERSITY STAFF