PORTSMOUTH—Portsmouth Black History tours have been going on for 30 years. The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) expanded these tours state-wide seven years ago. Known for sharing a truer, more inclusive history of New Hampshire, BHTNH’s 2024 tour season kicks off with a special “Ona Judge Day” tour on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 2 p.m.

Afterward, guided tours are on Saturdays and Sundays from May 25 - Nov. 3, 2024. Beyond the addition of the “Ona Judge Day” - two other new “Living History Tours” will feature both Prince Whipple and the 1779 Petition for Freedom and Jack Staines, the “blackjack” seafarer who married Ona Judge. And, a Dover Tour has been added to the lineup. For a complete list, visit https://blackheritagetrailnh.org/sankofa-guided-walking-tours-2/

“We’re thrilled to be expanding our popular warm weather tours this year,” said JerriAnne Boggis, BHTNH executive director. “We’re starting off strong with our special ‘Ona Judge Day’ tour as part of NH’s celebration of the day in 1796 on which Ona Maria Judge Staines left the residence of George and Martha Washington in Philadelphia and boarded a ship to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she lived the remainder of her life in New Hampshire as a free woman.”

The 2024 series includes 17 different tours with topics including NH’s involvement slave trade, the early Black community and economy, Black soldiers in the Revolutionary War, and Harriet Wilson, the first African American novelist - who published in 1859. Beyond Portsmouth, guided walking tours will take place in Exeter, Milford, Dover, Hancock, Warner, N.H., and Kittery, Maine. They are led by expert guides who are trained in BHTNH’s Sankofa approach - literally “reaching back to get it.” Sankofa Scholars are well versed on the history and culture of African Americans, and pursue a deeper understanding of racism grounded in historical research.