Detail of statue by artist Jerome Meadows at the African Burying Ground Memorial Park in Portsmouth
Portsmouth, and many other towns in New Hampshire, have been home to enslaved natives of Africa and to African-Americans for more than 350 years, but their stories have often been left out of the official narrative. Our film, produced in collaboration with Atlantic Media Productions, chronicles the efforts of two community scholars and activists, Valerie Cunningham and JerriAnne Boggis, to bring to light stories of Africans and African-Americans in New Hampshire, from slavery to the Civil Rights era. The full film debuted on May 26, 2016 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth as part of their Film Matters series. DVD's are not yet publicly available, but we can provide review copies upon request.
A note from the Center for the Humanities
In the years since our documentary Shadows Fall North premiered, hundreds of people have experienced its powerful account of a community coming together to honor Black history and to learn about the forgotten people and stories in their cities and towns. Almost everyone who sees Shadows Fall North asks us two questions: Why didn’t I know these stories before? and How can I get more people to see this? We share your desire to make Shadows Fall North even more widely accessible. We hope to reach even more people, create educational resources to spark conversations, and allow our partner, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, to share the film with visitors already interested in Black history in NH. If you are able to make a gift to support our efforts to make Shadows Fall North more accessible, you can do so at any time at our secure online giving form. Thank you. We are grateful for your support.
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