The Black Heritage Trail of NH

EL MIRADOR | BETHLEHEM

Brothers Juan and Andres Pu have always worked behind the grill serving others. However, it was this year they fulfilled their dreams and opened up not one but two businesses feeding the stomachs and souls of the North Country.

Originally from Guatemala, the family launched El Mirador Restaurante — el mirador translates to “the view” — on the grounds of the Bethlehem Country Club over the summer. This was shortly after launching the “North Country’s Daddy’s Grill” food truck based in Littleton. Both venues offer Latino and American cuisine.

“It’s been my dream for a long time to open up a restaurant,” says Juan Pu. “I didn’t expect it to happen this fast.”

Sometimes success sneaks up on you. Juan Pu says he wasn’t planning to open up a brick-andmortar business initially. In April, he and his brother launched North Country Daddy’s Grill. The truck grew so popular that the Bethlehem Country Club approached the brothers to take over the space that once housed the Putter’s Club, and El Mirador was born.

One of the things they look forward to is introducing the North Country this holiday season to hot Latino foods, such as tamales, a traditional Guatemalan dish ensconsed in masa, a corn-based dough. This comfort food will keep everyone warm during the coldest winter months.

Juan and Andres Pu, owners of El Mirador in Bethlehem, cook up wonderful Central American fare that will brighten any winter table.

Photo by Kendall Bush

Guatemalan Tamales

1 whole cooked chicken 6 ripe tomatoes, diced 3 red peppers, cut 3 Poblano peppers, cut Half an onion, minced 1 ounce sesame seeds 1 ounce pumpkin seeds 2 teaspoons cinnamon Salt and pepper (to taste) Two bay leaves ½ tsp of annatto (for color) 4 cups masa flour Banana leaves for shaping tamales and corn husks for the pot

Debone and then cut the chicken into small pieces. Grill the tomatoes, red peppers, poblano and onions until seared and leave for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Saute the pumpkin seeds until brown. Process the chicken, tomatoes, red peppers, poblano peppers, onions, anatto and pumpkin seeds in a blender until well mixed. Season with cinnamon, bay leaves, salt and pepper. (It will be hot so be careful.)

Make the tortilla masa (dough) by adding 3 cups of water and 4 cups of masa flour. Knead it until it’s hard enough to make a dough ball. Roll out a ball of the tortilla dough on a banana leaf until it’s flat and round, then place a dollop of the seasoned chicken mix in the middle.

Fold the the tortilla dough over the mix and press to seal. Fold the banana leaf around the tamale and wrap it with aluminum foil. Repeat until all the mix or masa is used up. Line the bottom of a large pot with the corn husks and add about four cups of water and set to boil (add water as needed — the corn husks add flavor and help protect the pot from scorching). Place the tamales one at a time into the pot, cover and let it steam for 2.5 hours.

Disfrutar!

Can history heal us?

About 28 years ago, Valerie Cunningham and a team of independent researchers installed a series of markers across the city of Portsmouth, telling the story of the 656 enslaved Africans throughout the region. With it they formed the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, a self-guided tour that takes visitors to sites like the African Burial Ground and Prescott Park, uncovering stories that have been excluded from history. Now, the trail is extending: not just marking Black history around Portsmouth, but sharing stories across the state.

It’s called the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH), and it’s a series of physical markers sharing Black history around the Granite State. BHTNH identified 18 towns to start, and four towns have markers already. Telling these stories is just the beginning of rewriting an important part of history that has been all but left out of the classroom.

“New Hampshire loves to talk about its firsts, but we also have a lot of firsts in Black history,” says JerriAnne Boggis, BHTNH’s executive director. Some of those firsts include Harriet Wilson of Milford, the first Black person to publish a novel in America, and Vance Coit, a formerly enslaved man who founded a small community of free Black people at the base of what

Highlightinghistory is now Coit Mountain, near Newport. “You look at Coit Mountain and never know that story,” Boggis explains. “But putting a marker there changes the landscape, and you’ll look at that landscape differently. You’ll start imagining the people there, how they lived, how they created lives, and the humanness of their story will come to mind.” Boggis knows a thing or two about what visual representation does to a place. She formed an organization and unveiled a statue to Harriet Wilson in 2005 — the state’s first statue to honor a person of color. Her own process of learning about Harriet Wilson changed everything. “Knowing that story changed how I saw the

THE BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL OF NH TELLS A NEW STORY ACROSS THE GRANITE STATE

n BY BETH SANTOS

town in which I was living,” Boggis, who was born in Jamaica, says. “It created a different feeling to be part of the town and not just a visitor, even though I’ve been there forever. It created that sense of roots. And for my kids, who were born and raised in New Hampshire, it created that sense of belonging. I needed something permanently in the state so no one could say, ‘Well, this didn’t happen here.’”

That absence of Black history has contributed to a lot of misconceptions. Some visitors to the trail have admitted to not recognizing that there was any Black history in New Hampshire at all. And for Black New Hampshire residents, that lack of representation hurts.

“New Hampshire has always been talked about as one of the whitest states in the Union,” Boggis says. “But this changes the historical perception of what New Hampshire is. Not only do we include the story of enslavement, but we also have towns where Black people were among the founding people in the town. A lot of research has shown that people are really interested in diverse communities. So highlighting this history, with visible markers, and a telling of locations of Black history, creates a much more complex image — but also a more welcoming image — and a sense of belonging for people of color.”

One of Boggis’ favorite modern nods to the power of imagery is the Positive Street Art installation in Nashua, which consists of a series of bold, colorful and inspirational murals featuring women and people of color. “It creates a whole different feel for the town to see these largerthan-life images, none of which have white people. It changes the mindset where it becomes normal. I think it enters the human psyche in a different way to see this visual representation of other people.” For Boggis, creating physical markers and visuals to tell the stories of Black history in New Hampshire is a critical step in broadening awareness of our state’s true heritage, even if a visitor isn’t actively looking for it. That, combined with ongoing programming and dialogue, can do wonders to create true representation for everyone — both residents and visitors alike.

“If we acknowledge this history for Black folks, for African Americans, we can acknowledge this history for Latinos, for Asians. As we highlight this, we’re also highlighting our Native American history. It creates a much more complex view of New Hampshire — but also a much more welcoming and inclusive view of our state.”

The expansion plans for the trail have already surpassed the initial 18 towns intended. This is because the more awareness it raises, the more towns dig into their own historical data and are surprised by what they find. A marker in Windham tells the story of a cemetery for local enslaved people. Nashua has asked for a marker, too. As these towns find evidence of their own Black history and heritage, they join the line of towns requesting markers. For Boggis and her team, it’s just a matter of meeting the demand.

In addition to the statewide marker installation, the Black Heritage Trail also hosts a number of events and activities to shed light on Black history in order to build more inclusive communities today. Those activities include walking tours led by guides called Sankofa Scholars who are trained and experienced in Black history as well as modern concepts and controversies in anti-racism, a series of “tea talk” lectures related to New Hampshire’s Black history and African American culture, an annual Juneteenth celebration, and statewide community readings of Frederick Douglass’ famous speech, “What to the Slave is your Fourth of July?” The Black Heritage Trail also hosts the two-day Black New England Conference — the 2022 theme focused on exploring the racialized wealth gap.

These activities aren’t just about telling stories of history, but examining them with a modern lens and setting an example for future generations. That is the true vision for Boggis and her team.

“I had always looked at New Hampshire as a place where we could be an example of what it means to honor our history, even a history that we think is problematic,” Boggis explains. “If we continue to hide the stories and never face our history, we have no chance of healing. But we can have an honest dialogue on what it means if we can go through the pain of enslavement, of segregation. On both sides, we have a chance to heal. And if we can do it in one town, two towns, three towns across the state, across the country, there is hope.” 603

In communities like Andover and Kittery, Maine, which is just across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire markers tell the story about the Africans and African-Americans who lived and worked here for many generations.

Downhill

diversity

NEW HAMPSHIRE SKI AREAS ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO HIT THE SLOPES n BY CAROLINA VALENTI

As someone who never learned how to ski or to enjoy the snow in general, I knew I had two choices when I moved to New Hampshire: hiding six months inside the house hoping the few days of summer would arrive soon, or venturing outside and facing my fears.

The whole idea of putting on a pair of boots, gearing up for the frigid temperatures and jumping into the unknown sounded terrifying, to say the least. I would quickly realize, though, that it was not just a matter of learning how to

ski or snowboard, but there is also a real financial cost that comes along with it.

For all the people who feel like I did once, there is a clear message the skiing industry wants us to know: “We are welcome, and the spaces for us are there.”

One of the resorts committed to bring diversity into the winter sports industry is Pat’s Peak, a family-friendly mountain located in Henniker, New Hampshire. Since 2005, the resort has been a Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Partner, a program that allows kids from any background to obtain sponsor tickets and purchase used rental equipment at a very discounted rate.

The resort offers signs in 28 different languages and even advertises through various Spanish media outlets. Through their partnership with WeForm, they also welcome families from Boston suburbs.

“We hire employees who speak different languages, including Mandarin, to work in our rental shop and as instructors,” says Lori Rowell, Pats Peak’s director of marketing and sales. They also run a Cultural Exchange and Diversity Program with students from South America.

By celebrating their Diversity Day during the Martin Luther King holiday, Pats Peak acknowledges the importance of attracting all types of skiers. The event celebrated 21 years last January. With just one entry ticket, attendees can access skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, rentals and more. The next celebration will take place on January 16, 2023. “The event commemorates the importance of diversity, nondiscrimination and freedom,” explained Rowell.

A couple of years ago, I decided to take advantage of the resort’s Passport Program, a prepaid package that included four lessons and a pair of skis once you completed the required training. This offered me some savings, as well as a chance to encounter people with similar backgrounds to mine, many of them mothers, eager to learn how to ski. Clearly, the efforts to attract a diverse crowd are working.

Making the impossible a reality

Even for those who face extremely challenging circumstances, there are alternatives. Waterville Valley Resort, for example, has a well-established Adaptive Sports Program that started in 1991. It grants access and instruction to people with disabilities and intellectual challenges.

“We deal with any disability there is; we try to accommodate whatever the needs of the individual are and we are doing a really good job at that. We have a great group, 60 to 70 volunteers, a lot of whom are high school-aged children,” explained James Waddell, a key figure involved with the program, who will be its manager this season.

By providing non-traditional skiing options, the resort has gained customers for life. “We have participants who come every single solitary year. We have students who began with us as seven or eight-year-olds and now are 20-something year olds, and moving on,” he added.

There is a huge reward associated with such an initiative, but also, a heavy financial cost. Running the program requires special equipment, depending on the individual’s needs, and most of the financing for these purchases is obtained through fundraising. One event, the Cold Turkey Plunge, is Waterville’s most successful gathering to secure funds; it takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving. For the past couple of years, the resort has also celebrated Pirate Day, inviting everyone to do the most runs they can in a day, dressed as a pirate if they wish.

Thanks to the generosity of these events’ participants, Waterville keeps >>

extending its reach and impact. “Last year we got a brand-new ski which is called the TetraSki. Developed at the University of Utah, it can be used by an individual who is paralyzed from the neck down, who has no ability to use his or her limbs. This opens up the door for people who would have never been on skis,” says Waddell.

Fear of heights? No problem!

Skiing or snowboarding is not for everyone. It can be intimidating. However, sometimes all you need is to start easy and slow. Why not try cross-country skiing then? A discipline in which skiers use their own bodies to move around the snow, there is no need for slopes, just plain terrain. It can be practiced pretty much in any place where there is a decent amount of powder.

“We are exploring efforts to be more welcoming. We are looking for opportunities to be closer to urban areas. Snowmaking has become much more important in our sport to reach audiences that may not travel to more rural areas,” explained Heidi Lange, executive director of the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA), a group that promotes learning and development of the sport.

There is also an access that cross-country skiing offers in terms of equipment. “One of the things we appreciate about cross-country skiing is that our equipment is not quite as expensive as alpine,” added Kait Miller, who serves as NENSA’s youth and introductory program director.

The Association currently runs an elementary school introductory ski program called Nordic Rocks, which provides instruction at no cost. The initiative targets students in more diverse demographic regions, as well as kids hailing from lower-income families. The financial burden that buying or renting equipment can add to the youngsters’ families is also actively addressed by NENSA.

“We have new equipment this year that has a universal binding. Children can use it with their usual snow boots rather than having a devoted cross-country skiing boot, so it makes it very accessible to everyone,” commented Lange.

The New England Nordic Ski Association provides equipment and instruction to skiers who have physical or intellectual disabilities to help them get out on the slopes at New Hampshire ski resorts like Pat’s Peak in Henniker, Loon Mountain in Lincoln and Waterville Valley.

Photo by Dean Haymes

Ladies have a special day

Women eager to try cross country-skiing can get a taste of the sport by participating in the Women’s XC Ski Day, a NENSA-sponsored event offered to anyone who identifies as a female and which includes a full day of introductory clinics, lunch and a raffle. A great opportunity to build a sports sisterhood!

“This would be our 22nd year of our women’s day, (an event) conceived and started by an Olympian (Trina Hosmer). It’s been hugely successful; it has filled to capacity every year, and we are very proud of it,” concludes Lange. The next one for those interested will take place on January 22, 2023, in Jackson, NH.

The road ahead

Even though there are no clear statistics in New Hampshire related to participation in winter sports by gender, race or disability, these examples prove there is an existing concern and efforts in place to attract a more diverse crowd to the snow.

Just last September, Vail Resorts, which operates Mount Sunapee, Crotched, Wildcat and Attitash, announced $560,000 in grants committed to increase youth access to outdoor recreation. “Each of the nonprofit partners works to support youth of color in major metropolitan areas surrounding Vail Resorts’ locations, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and New York, among others,” reads their press release.

Sometimes, the main obstacle is ourselves. After all, once you get on that lift and land on that hill (in my case, hopefully without falling), it’s only you and the snow. The powder is colorless, there is no referee, no limitations on how fast or slow you can go. It’s just fun and games out there. As James Waddell put it, “People may have challenges, but they are on a level playing field when they are on the mountain with all the other skiers.” 603

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