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Juneteenth is fast approaching, and the Black Heritage Trail is hosting a handful of programs commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
The federal holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, which notified slaves in Texas that they had been freed more than two years earlier.
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On Wednesday, June 14, the Currier Museum in Manchester is hosting a panel discussion called “Still, Uprooted? Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire” at 6 p.m. The discussion will revisit a 2009 documentary that traced the lives of five refugees from different countries who were re-settled in New Hampshire and give an update about where these five individuals are now.
On Friday, June 16, the 3S Artspace in Portsmouth will host a reception featuring artist and art educator McKinley Wallace III, who will take part in a moderated conversation about their work and artistic process. The event starts at 5 p.m. and it is free and open to the public.
“Strengthened by my role as a Black educator, I capture moments of atmospheric and direct tension and rebellion to rattle America’s exclusionary ideals and legacies – choices enacted by the impact of deferring Black joy for centuries,” Wallace says.
On Saturday, June 17, there will be a Reggae festival at the Strawbery Banke museum in Portsmouth at noon, with performances by Marcia Griffiths, Brigadier Jerry, Nadine Southerland, and others. You can also expect Caribbean foods and craft vendors. Tickets start at $60.
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The celebration continues over the weekend, with a 4 p.m. dance performance on Sunday, June 18, by Camille A. Brown & Dancers at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. Brown was the first Black director of a mainstage production at the Metropolitan Opera, and in 2022 she was the first Black woman to both direct and choreograph a Broadway show in 65 years, according to her bio. Tickets start at $30.
On Monday, June 19, the Akwaaba Ensemble will put on a free drumming performance at the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth at 11 a.m. And at 2 p.m. the Howard Gospel Choir will perform at South Church in Portsmouth. Tickets are $35 and space is limited.
You can find more information about these events, including how to buy tickets, here.
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @amanda_gokee.