Image from the Ona Judge Mural Unveiling event. Mural created by Manny Ramirez of Positive Street Art. Captured by MaryGrace Benjamin.

By CARLOTA de ALMEIDA

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence has passed with July 4th fireworks fading across the nation, yet the core issue lingers: which experiences form the American narrative and which ones get sidelined?

Nationwide, programs promoting diversity face removal, reading materials vanish from schools and public collections, and arguments grow sharper about the version of history to present. Even Juneteenth encounters pushes to limit its visibility.

Historians, teachers, and supporters focus not just on keeping records intact but on sharing the complete account of successes and shortcomings instead of a sanitized version that avoids discomfort.

"Expanding the Narrative Beyond the Expected"

This approach drives the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Shortly before Juneteenth, the group revealed a fresh mural celebrating Ona Judge, who fled enslavement under President George Washington and reached Portsmouth, NH seeking liberty. Artist Manny Ramirez from Positive Street Art created the work, turning Judge into a visible part of the founding story that cannot be ignored.

Black Heritage Trail Executive Director JerriAnne Boggis sees this exposure as deliberate. "While some seek to remove or alter Black history to fit a sanitized version, here in New Hampshire we enlarge the account to grand scale," Boggis noted.

"While some seek to remove or alter Black history to fit a sanitized version, here in New Hampshire we enlarge the account to grand scale."

- JerriAnne Boggis

After breaking free from service to George and Martha Washington, Ona Judge settled in Portsmouth and built a life amid ongoing efforts by the first President to recover her as property. Boggis views Judge as embodying admired American traits often overlooked in standard examples.

"Ona's journey matches what America claims to stand for. She left all she knew behind to gain freedom," Boggis explained. "That reflects the bravery and self-reliance we honor."

"Ona's journey matches what America claims to stand for. She left all she knew behind to gain freedom. That reflects the bravery and self-reliance we honor."

- JerriAnne Boggis

Judge's experience also reveals where those ideals fall short. She faced job scarcity and spent years in hardship. "This shows the outcome when equality and justice are absent," Boggis stated. "Liberty alone could not remove obstacles built by prejudice."

"Liberty alone could not remove obstacles built by prejudice."

- JerriAnne Boggis

"True Patriotism Embraces the Full Account"

Following the 250th, Boggis sees a moment for national reflection. "I often feel torn about marking this day since it overlooks so many elements," she said. "It marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence signing. It does not mark the start of America."

"I often feel torn about marking this day since it overlooks so many elements. It marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence signing. It does not mark the start of America."

- JerriAnne Boggis

The difference holds weight because Indigenous nations already lived on the land, and the 1776 ideals excluded native people, those held in bondage, women, and others. Boggis maintains that facing these gaps counts as an act of patriotism.

"The Declaration of Independence holds values that echo in today's struggles, the same ones founders pursued," she said. "We can honor those values. Yet without examining their shortfalls, improvement stays out of reach."

Efforts to tell complete histories grow pressing amid rising disputes over classroom content. Restrictions on race-related topics spark worry nationwide. In New Hampshire, measures like the divisive concepts law and recent bills intensify questions about suitable material and deserving histories.

"The Declaration of Independence holds values that echo in today's struggles, the same ones founders pursued. We can honor those values. Yet without examining their shortfalls, improvement stays out of reach."

- JerriAnne Boggis

"The Price of Omitting Stories"

Boggis ties these talks to effects beyond school lessons. "When people of color miss accounts like Ona's, they risk accepting a version imposed on them," she said.

Lacking examples of strength, creativity, and guidance, young people miss figures who broaden their view of possibilities. "We require those figures, guides, visuals, and accounts for our own sake," Boggis added. Such stories also counter narrow views held by others.

"When people of color miss accounts like Ona's, they risk accepting a version imposed on them. We require those figures, guides, visuals, and accounts for our own sake."

- JerriAnne Boggis

She notes a recurring tactic across time. "Groups seeking control over others start by stripping away their accounts," she said. "They remove their books. They remove their accounts."

Without access to their own histories, communities receive outside versions that can entrench biases, downplay successes, and frame inequality as natural. "Knowing their own account empowers people," Boggis concluded.

"Groups seeking control over others start by stripping away their accounts. They remove their books. They remove their accounts. When people know their own account, they gain power."

- JerriAnne Boggis

"Bringing Black History Into View"

While public arguments continue over classroom, museum, and event content, groups like the Black Heritage Trail respond by broadening the record to cover overlooked contributors rather than altering facts.

The Ona Judge mural launches the organization's "Five to Know" project, aimed at introducing New Hampshire residents to key Black historical figures who influenced both state and national events.

These include Harriet Wilson, the first Black woman to publish a novel in the United States; Wentworth Cheswell, among the earliest Black elected officials; Richard Potter, the nation's first Black star performer; and Prince Whipple, signer of New Hampshire's 1779 Petition for Freedom.

"We aim for at least one-third of New Hampshire residents to recognize these figures," Boggis said. "Exposure to this history and its national impact offers a path to a fuller picture of our state's past."

"We aim for at least one-third of New Hampshire residents to recognize these figures. Exposure to this history and its national impact offers a path to a fuller picture of our state's past."

- JerriAnne Boggis

About JerriAnne Boggis

JerriAnne Boggis serves as executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, founded and directs The Harriet Wilson Project, and previously led diversity programs and community outreach at the University of New Hampshire.

Boggis received recognition as one of 25 Extraordinary Women of Southern New Hampshire by the Nashua Telegraph in 2015, was named 2017 Freedom Fighter by Seacoast NAACP, and in 2015 earned a spot among the 40 most influential New Hampshirites by New Hampshire Humanities.

She has served on the advisory board of the New Hampshire chapter of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, the University of New Hampshire's Commission on the Status of People of Color, and most recently the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.