By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org

PORTSMOUTH, NH - Hundreds of people assembled outside the African Burying Ground Memorial on Friday morning to mark Juneteenth along with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire hosted the gathering.

The morning opened with a march of roughly 0.8 miles from Kittery, Maine, to the memorial site. Once the group reached the location, performances by local ensembles including the Akwaaba Ensemble, the Leftist Marching Band, Seacoast Wheelers, and the Ruff Ryders set an energetic tone, after which speakers addressed the historical weight of the occasion.

Juneteenth stands as the oldest nationally recognized observance marking the end of slavery in the United States, yet New Hampshire only made June 19 an official state holiday after former Governor Chris Sununu signed the relevant legislation.

"Together, we gather on this sacred ground, Portsmouth African Burying Ground, a place that calls us to remember, to honor, and to tell the truth. We cannot be here and not know the history of our country. This Juneteenth is especially significant; we celebrate not only the emancipation of the enslaved African Americans, but also the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As our nation reflects on the promise that all men are created equal, we stand here in the shadow of a history that reminds us that those words were not written for everyone," said JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

Boggis added that in 1779, twenty enslaved men in Portsmouth petitioned for freedom for themselves and all others held in bondage. She noted they expressed hope that "the name of slave may not be heard in a land gloriously intended for the sweets of freedom."

"While others fought for independence from a distant king, these men demanded independence from slavery itself. They understood the contradiction; they believed that liberty belongs to everyone. Today we honor that courage, we honor the 179 enslaved Africans whose names we will read today," Boggis said, referring to those who lived in the area.

According to its mission statement, the BHTNH works to promote awareness and appreciation of African American history and life in order to build more inclusive communities today.

The program also included a Native American blessing accompanied by music and drums from the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People.

"Today, we gather not only to celebrate the holiday, but to honor a journey, a journey of pain and perseverance, a journey of bondage and breakthrough, a journey of survival, faith, and freedom. Juneteenth reminds us of June 19, 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas finally received the news that they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had already been signed," Rev. Rose Marie Pete from the North Star A.M.E. Zion Church said.

Pete noted that the African Burying Ground Memorial stands as a testimony that "their lives matter, their struggles matter, and their faith matters."

"Some buried here lived through the painful reality of slavery, while others experienced freedom during a difficult and uncertain time in African history. Juneteenth teaches us that freedom should never belong to just one people, it is a blessing meant for everyone," Pete said.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, observed that the phrase from the Declaration of Independence "that all men are created equal" was written while slavery existed in every American colony, including New Hampshire.

"The gap between those ideals and that reality shaped much of our nation’s history, and yet Black Americans continue to contribute to their communities, to serve the country, and push the nation closer to its founding ideals," Shaheen said.

Research from the Northeast Slavery Records Index states that roughly 3,000 enslaved people escaped their enslavers and enlisted to fight in the Revolutionary War on the British side. About 5,000 Black soldiers, many of them enslaved, joined the Continental forces to secure their freedom or served as substitutes for their enslavers. As of 1790, the index estimates that approximately 710 enslaved people lived in New Hampshire.