By Rosemary Ford and Caitlin Agnew

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

On this episode of “The State We’re In,” Melanie Plenda talks with JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the , Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire; Dwight Davis, owner of Senior Helpers of Southern NH and past president of Black Heritage Trail NH and a former college and NBA basketball star; and James McKim, NAACP Manchester branch president and managing partner at Organizational Ignition LLC, to learn what Juneteenth, the newly recognized federal holiday and day of observance in New Hampshire, is all about.

Melanie Plenda:

What is the history behind June 19th?

JerriAnne Boggis:

So Juneteenth is a predominantly Black celebration. It started in Texas as a result of Gen. George Granger, who led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. This was two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but it would take this army that general Granger brought into Galveston to free the enslaved people in Texas. 

It's not that the enslaved people there didn't know that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed on Jan. 1, 1863. It's just that the enslavers did not obey that new Emancipation Proclamation. So it would take this army to force the enslavers to free the enslaved people there. 

To put this in perspective, the Emancipation Proclamation that President Lincoln signed did not free all the slaves. It was only the slaves that were in the states that wanted to secede that were freed. So that meant that states like Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri still had enslaved people as well. Slavery didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 then represents this emancipation, for when freedom really ended for the enslaved African Americans in our country.

Melanie Plenda:

Dwight, having been born in Texas — the last state to have freed enslaved people — and your career in the NBA taking you to many places, how would you compare your experiences in other states versus living in New Hampshire, and how was the observance of Juneteenth different? 

Dwight Davis:

To answer your question about Juneteenth being a holiday in Texas. It was a proclamation back in 1936. When I did some studying, I was quite surprised because, during 1936, Texas was still very much an oppressor state for people of color. But it did not become a state holiday until 1980. 

However, Black folk in Texas did not wait for that to start celebrating Juneteenth. I can remember from my birth in 1949, as a young kid in the early and mid-‘50s. It was a huge, huge holiday and as a young person I thought it was celebrated in all states. 

But it was not celebrated in all places likewise. One of the states I moved to and lived in, playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, was Ohio and it was celebrated to a small extent. I was quite surprised as a 21- year-old-man to see that. 

Melanie Plenda:

James, reflecting on the protracted struggle for an official state holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. in New Hampshire, has the NAACP advocated to make Juneteenth a state holiday? Do you think such a measure would have support?

James McKim:

We have advocated for it. I think there is support for it. I think that support is challenged, though, especially because of the times in which we live. We have a backlash against learning the true history of this nation and covering up the fact that we had slavery as an institution here in the United States. I think, unfortunately, a number of folks in our legislature are afraid of that history. So I think there is support for it, but I think it would be a long haul to actually have it past as an official holiday here in the state. 

Melanie Plenda;

JerriAnne, this year’s Juneteenth celebration, presented by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, explores the theme of “Dreaming Black Art: Gateways to a New Awareness.” Tell us about the theme and how you feel it will advance understanding.

JerriAnne Boggis:

When we started looking at the themes of our prior Juneteenth celebrations, one of the things we realized that we've omitted in all of our work is looking at Black masculinity. We thought that this was a good time, using art and dialogue, to really explore that theme of what it means to be Black male in America. It just brought us to a really important place of looking at really breaking down stereotypes. 

Our first event was with a young artist named Nadroj Nina Holmes, who took an image of Gordon, known to the majority of Americans as “Whipped Peter.” He is a man who was formerly enslaved and the image shows all the scars on his back. The artist erased the scars and put other things on his back, just as a starting place for a dialogue so that people can really immerse themselves in understanding what this history is and what Black male masculinity is all about. 

Earlier, we had a discussion with eight Black African men of color on stage in Manchester. I’ll tell you, it was the most emotional, engaging, transformative conversation I've been a part of. We never allow our Black men to be vulnerable, to be emotional. They were authentically themselves and opened a door for us to see into what it really means to be Black and to be male in America. So I'm really excited about this theme. I think we have a lot of stuff to unpack and with a bigger understanding, our men can be who they are themselves, in our communities.

Melanie Plenda:

Would you say the ability to build intergroup connections and relationships is even more important, given the demographics in the future?

Dwight Davis:

We realize as people of color that if we're going to take our rightful place in this society, in this community, then we must have more business owners, we have to have more job creators in order to do that effectively and efficiently.

Those of us who have broken through to some degree must go back and share. Just like the term “sankofa” [An African phrase that loosely translates to “to return and get it”], it is not a bad thing for us to go back and share what we've learned and share our connections with others. It’s not bad to come together and gather the full force that a group can bring, as opposed to individual people of color here and there. 

Melanie Plenda:

What are some of the ways people can get involved in Manchester, or even in small towns around New Hampshire?

James McKim:

Following what is going on in the state legislature, being in touch with your representatives, and letting them know that we want a state that shows equal treatment and equitable treatment to every single person regardless of their race. Getting involved in the school board, going to school board meetings and letting your thoughts, feelings, desires and beliefs be known.

We have a number of minority-owned businesses here in the state. On our website, we have a list of those minority-owned businesses and we are encouraging people to go to that list and patronize those businesses to help them to grow and to take advantage of the various products and services which enrich all of our lives by taking advantage of them. 

Melanie Plenda:

Would you say the history of slavery lurks in the background? 

James McKim:

It absolutely lurks in the background. We were just talking about the perception of African Americans that JerriAnne brought up from the event last week, and that Black men have not been allowed to be vulnerable. They've not been allowed to be vulnerable because of this perception that Black men are dangerous, not to be trusted, not to be heard. That's based on the notion that Black people are not human. It's what we really have been taught, it's been in the air that we breathe, that there's this “danger.” 

So there's a healing that needs to go on. Not just for Black people, but for everyone. Because this notion that Black people, Black males in particular, are dangerous, causes fear in white people. It causes this notion we can't be safe, if there's a person of color there. Even if we don't act based on that, it’s something that is going on in our heads. This goes on in the heads of Black people too, by the way. So we all need this healing. It's one of the reasons why we're working with Nicole Sublette and with therapists of color to put on healing circles. These are opportunities to have these deep conversations about what's broken in the relationships both in the past and today. We all need this healing. 

Dwight Davis:

I agree with everything James said. But I'd like to add that the description of the Black male and the Black race in general, also includes being irresponsible and unintelligent. Those are things that are being propagated and promoted. Especially in the last eight years or so. Some of it may be a backlash to President Barack Obama and the light that he brought to this country and some of it is just a residual from the Civil War.

I can tell you that I’m not shocked at what has happened, but I am deeply surprised that the speed at which so many things that have been accomplished and so many milestones that have been passed were reversed. It is disheartening, but we know as descendants of slaves, even in the darkest hours, we can have victory, and it won't be just for people of color. It will be for this entire nation. Black people love this country. We just want this country to love us back.

Melanie Plenda:

JerriAnne Boggis, executive director, Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire; Dwight Davis, owner, Senior Helpers of Southern  NH and past president of Black Heritage Trail NH; and James McKim, NAACP Manchester branch president and managing partner at Organizational Ignition LLC, thank you so much for joining us today.

“The State We’re In” is a weekly digital public affairs show produced by NH PBS and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. It is shared with partners in the Granite State News Collaborative, of which both organizations are members. These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative as part of our Race and Equity Initiative. For more information visitcollaborativenh.org.