PORTSMOUTH — Portraits of Emerson Reed, Geraldine “Jeri” Cousins Palmer, Hazel Sinclair and more of the region’s influential Black forebears hang on walls of the Seacoast African American Cultural Center.
The growing “Wall of Fame” is one of several projects in development to mark the center’s 25th anniversary in 2025, led by Sandi Clark Kaddy, the nonprofit’s president, and the center’s board members.
Donations of items from Seacoast New Hampshire and southern Maine residents, in addition to contributions from people residing beyond the region, have helped the center compile more than 1,500 items. This includes more than 250 Black dolls displayed in the fall and early winter exhibit “Black Dolls, Black Pride,” as well as 500-plus African masks and artifacts.
“I think it’s special to know that right here in little old Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that we’re able to acquire some of this art,” Kaddy said.
“We’re a legit museum,” added Joanna Kelley, a board member at the center and Portsmouth’s assistant mayor. “We’re always looking for people who have a small collection who think it wouldn’t be good for larger museums.”
What events and exhibits will the center hold in 2025?
The center, located inside the Portsmouth Historical Society, is open seasonally and will reopen May 2.
The plan is to revive past exhibits this year, including “Guinea to Great Bay: Afro-Atlantic Lives, Culture and History” and “We the People: The Fight for Justice for People of Color in White Suburbia.” A new exhibit titled “Crowns” will celebrate Black hair through photography and multimedia.
The center is also forming the “Seacoast Banned Book Club” with Newington’s Langdon Public Library staff and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. The first title to be read will be Angie Thomas’ novel “The Hate U Give.”
The center will also commemorate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the African Burying Ground Memorial Park on Chestnut Street.
The Seacoast African American Cultural Center is partnering with Strawbery Banke Museum as it restores Penhallow House to highlight the period Jeri Cousins Palmer and her family lived in the home, partly during the Great Depression era. The Cousins were one of several Black families living in the Puddle Dock neighborhood during that time.
On Juneteenth, a freedom walk will be held, with participants starting on the Kittery, Maine side of the Memorial Bridge before heading into Portsmouth and walking to Strawbery Banke.
The plan is for the Seacoast African American Cultural Center to partner with more local nonprofits this year and beyond.
“(We want to make sure) that we’re seen and that we’re heard, and that what we’ve contributed and what we’re continuing to contribute, not only to the Seacoast but to the world and to the United States, it’s important,” Kaddy said.
“Even though our name is the Seacoast African American Cultural Center, we represent Black people and African people throughout the world. We’re a hub for that. We want people to know we’re broader but also we’re looking at trying to make sure we curate things that are local,” Kelley said.
What is the history of the Seacoast African American Cultural Center?
In August 2000, the Seacoast African American Cultural Center was founded. Its inaugural board of directors was made up of three at-large members and one representative each from nine local organizations: The African American Resource Center, Blues Bank Collective, Kwanza, Inc., New Hope Baptist Church, the-then Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, the Seacoast Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition, the Seacoast NAACP, the Seacoast Men’s Friendship Group and Triple 8 Traveler’s Lodge #32.
Vernis Jackson, SAACC founder, to be celebrated after her death
The Seacoast African American Cultural Center’s anniversary year will occur without its matriarch.
Founder Vernis Jackson, a longtime Portsmouth elementary school teacher, died at 92 in February.
Remembered fondly by her peers, Jackson has been heralded for her efforts in the fundraising and development of the African Burying Ground Memorial Park.
A framed image of Jackson undoubtedly will be included among the center’s pantheon of photos showing the area’s Black leaders past and present. The “Wall of Fame” is located on the floor dedicated to Cousins Palmer, while the main level is dedicated to Jackson and the third floor is dedicated to Kelvin “Kel” Edwards, a founding center board member.
Kaddy knows her mentor would be proud and emotional to see her dream continuing into the future.
“She wouldn’t be too happy about us celebrating her because she liked to be in the background, really. We take our liberties from time to time, but she would be really excited about bringing back all of what’s happened in the past 25 years,” Kaddy said. “We can’t bring back every exhibit, but we’ll have a little bit of each one, and it might be something that will continue.”
Kelley, the current chairperson of the city’s committee for the African Burying Ground Memorial Park, recalled Jackson’s desire to bring along more young people into the center’s mission and volunteer roster.
“That’s a very Vernis mentality that it’s not about me. It’s about mission and case and everyone else that you can affect,” Kelley said.
Volunteers ready to celebrate SAACC’s 25th anniversary
The center is donation-based and does not receive any federal funding, though it has received grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation in the past, according to Kelley.
The volunteer-run center’s operations typically cost between $25,000 and $30,000 annually, largely due to rent.
Kelley walked throughout the center and emphasized its importance in educating residents on the region’s Black history.
“When you look at all of these cultural centers, to me it brings a lot of pride because to me, it emphasizes the melting pot that is the U.S.,” Kelley said.
