Events

The Color-Filled Conversation Series is an episodic series of publicly-engaged events that center dialogue about today’s pressing issues. Building on our inclusive book club and similar past events, the Series allows everyone a seat at the table to share their experiences and learn from others in order to grow together as a community. Above all, our Series centers Black arts, culture and expertise with engaging keynote speakers and panels, both in-person and livestreamed.

SAACC is a core participant in the New England BIPOC Festival, an annual celebration since 2021 of food, music, and community in the greater Seacoast area. Our members share stories, insights and their multiple talents in festival performance and provide information about the Center and possibilities to contribute.

From the festival organizers: “As long as black and brown people are marginalized, ignored, regarded as second class citizens, or blocked from the same rights and privileges enjoyed by white folks, our democracy cannot succeed.

Each year we contribute to the Portsmouth city-wide Juneteenth celebrations, often leading a commemorative peace march from John Paul Jones Park in Kittery, ME across the Memorial Bridge to end at the African Burying Ground park in Portsmouth. We collaborate with other area Black churches and heritage organizations to make this now-inaugural holiday one to remember.

As part of the popular ‘Art Around Town’ calendar series in Portsmouth, visitors can always stop in to see our latest exhibits, meet our board members and volunteers, and enjoy refreshments. Donations appreciated.

Each year, we host and participate in several Black History Month events in the greater Seacoast area, as well as offer public and private educational sessions for hire for interested businesses and organizations who wish to enrich their understanding of Black cultures, history, and heritage in the United States and beyond.

Najee Brown’s play Stokely and Martin stages a conversation between two of the world’s greatest civil rights leaders: Martin Luther King, Jr., preacher and advocate of nonviolence and racial integration, and Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), advocate of Black Power. It’s a story of two men who fought side by side against racial injustices and the Vietnam War but took different paths toward liberation.

A collaboration with Green Acre Bahai, featuring Anaya Carles, Yoshi Maysonet, and Samantha Searles

Musician and educator Ayanna Gallant (BMus, UNH, MEd Lesley University) and owner of Aya Cultural Arts in Frederick, Maryland hosts regular African drumming workshops that immerse participants in divine feminine energy, fostering unity, expression, and personal empowerment. Led with passion and expertise, the workshops offers a unique blend of cultural exploration and self-discovery.