THE CENTER’S HISTORY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE STATE. ♪ TIM: WHEN VERNIS JACKSON FIRST ARRIVED IN PORTSMOUTH FROM SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, SHE NOTICED THERE WAS A LACK OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN REPRESENTATION IN THE CITY. THAT CREATED A DESIRE TO FORM AN ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON BLACK AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE THAT EXISTS NOT JUST HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT ALL THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND. >> WHEN I FIRST CAME TO PORTSMOUTH IN 1963, THERE WAS NOTHING. ZERO. AND I WANTED SO BADLY TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT I COULD KIND OF TALK ABOUT WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT MY OWN BACKGROUND. TIM: TO TURN THAT DREAM INTO A REALITY, JACKSON GATHERED A COALITION OF PEOPLE FROM AROUND PORTSMOUTH. >> I BEGAN MEETING WITH A GROUP OF WOMEN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN PORTSMOUTH, AND THAT GROUP WAS CALLED KWANZAA. IT’S AN AFRICAN NAME, MEANING FIRST, FIRST FRUIT. WE MET FOR A FEW MONTHS AND THEN WE BEGAN TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND DOING THINGS. AND WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WITH CHILDREN. SO, KWANZAA HAD THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN’S ART EXHIBIT BACK IN THE 1970’S. SO, WE CONTINUED THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND WE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT OTHER THINGS THAT WE COULD DO. TIM: OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, THEY MET REGULARLY AT JACKSON’S HOME AS THEY BRAINSTORMED IDEAS OF HOW TO EXPAND THE MISSION. >> WE WANTED TO HAVE A BUILDING OF OUR OWN. WE HAD NOTHING. WE DIDN’T HAVE A PENNY. ♪ TIM: THE GROUP FOUND A ROOM, OR CLOSET AS SHE DESCRIBES IT, BUT IT WAS ONLY TEMPORARY. THEY EVENTUALLY MOVED INTO A LARGER ROOM. >> BUT IT HAD A LOT OF JUNK IN IT. IT WAS FULL OF OLD JUNK. SO, WE ASKED THE CITY IF WE COULD USE THAT, AND THEY SAID YES, IF YOU CLEAN IT OUT. SO WE DID. AND THAT BECAME THE FIRST HOME OF THE SEACOAST AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER. TIM: A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN. THE CENTER NOW SITS AT 10 MIDDLE STREET. SANDY CLARK KATIE SERVES AS PRESIDENT. >> ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS, OUR FOCUS IS ON THE YOUTH. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF BLACK HISTORY IS LOST, AND WE’RE STARTING TO DIG IT UP. AND SO I THINK ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS IS TO PASS THIS INFORMATION ON, LET THEM GET EXCITED ABOUT HISTORY. ♪ TIM: THE CENTER’S CURRENT DISPLAY HIGHLIGHTS THE ADMINISTRATION OF FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. DONNING THE WALLS ARE PHOTOS TAKEN BY PETE SOUZA, PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CHIEF OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER. IT’S ONE THAT SANDI SAID MADE HER EMOTIONAL AS IT WAS PUT TOGETHER. >> AS YOU’RE HANGING THEM UP BETWEEN THE TEARS, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE LOOKING AT TOGETHERNESS. YOU’RE LOOKING AT SUPPORT FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. YOU’RE LOOKING AT A MAN WHO HAS DONE SOME GREAT THINGS FOR AMERICA, NOT JUST FOR BLACK PEOPLE, BUT FOR AMERICA. YOU LOOK AT HIM IN SOME OF THESE PHOTOS, ONE THING, YOU CAN SEE HOW A PRESIDENT AGES. AND JUST THE LOOK, THE LOOK ITSELF, THERE’S CONCERN. THERE’S PLAYFUL PICTURES OF HIM AND HIS WIFE. WE’RE PROUD, EVEN AS BLACKS IN THIS TIME, TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF DISPLAY, TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THIS AND SHARE THIS WITH PEOPLE, TO REMIND THEM OF THE PAST. SO, IT’S PRETTY EXCITING. TIM: OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, THE CENTER HAS ALSO FEATURED COUNTLESS OTHER EXHIBITS, SPEAKER SERIES, BOOK SIGNING AND SCHOLARSHIPS. AND THAT’S NOT ALL. >> WE SHOWCASE LOCAL PEOPLE. AND WE’VE DONE BOOK SIGNINGS FOR LOCAL ARTISTS, BLACK ARTISTS IN THE AREA. TIM: THE CENTER ALSO HOSTS A BOOK CLUB. >> WE HAVE A PRETTY CORE GROUP OF 20 PLUS PEOPLE THAT COME AND GO, DEPENDING ON EACH BOOK. BUT IT’S ALWAYS A VERY LIVELY DISCUSSION. I DO THINK, IN SOME WAYS, WE WERE AHEAD OF THE TIME, TALKING OPENLY AND TRANSPARENTLY ABOUT RACIAL TOPICS. ♪ TIM: THOSE TOPICS CAN OFTEN BE DIFFICULT. BUT AS THE CENTER PUTS IT, HEART CAN BE AN OUTLET THAT BRINGS EVERYONE TOGETHER. >> ARE IS A CLASSIC MEDIUM, RIGHT? IT’S A NONEXCLUSIVE -- NONEXCLUSIVE, AND IT’S HARD TO ARGUE ABOUT THINGS IN A GALLERY BECAUSE YOU’RE BEING QUIET. SO WHAT YOU CAN DO A LOT OF TIMES, WHEN I THINK ABOUT ART, EVEN IN A SPACE LIKE THIS, THEY GIVES YOU TIME TO REFLECT. AND SO MAYBE YOU COME IN HERE WHERE YOU DIDN’T ENJOY THIS ADMINISTRATION. YOU ARE GIVEN TIME TO REALLY REFLECT AND BRING HUMANITY INTO THE CONVERSATION. TIM: CONVERSATIONS THAT EVENTUALLY LEAD TO EDUCATION, THE JACKSON SET OUT TO ACHIEVE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO. >> TO SEE WHAT WE CAME FROM, WE CAME FROM NOTHIN AND WE CAME TO THIS. IT’S JUST, JUST OVERWHELMING. I’M SO HAPPY. ♪