IHoP-NH – In the Hallways of Power-NH
InDepthNH.org’s Paula Tracy talks every week with people from around New Hampshire who come to the State House and Legislative Office Building in Concord about why they do so.
We call her video column In the Hallways of Power-NH, IHoP-NH.
CONCORD—On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Sununu signed SB 174 into law establishing Juneteenth as a day to reflect upon slavery’s relation to the state of New Hampshire.
Prime sponsor Senator Melanie Levesque (D-Brookline) released the following statement after the signing ceremony:
“While most people associate the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln as the Decree that freed enslaved people, for some who were not told and remained in bondage it was actually June 19, 1865 that the chains of slavery were finally broken.
Today, June 19, 2019, the signing of SB 174 marks the first annual day to honor and commemorate Juneteenth in New Hampshire as the day that ‘all men and women became free.’
I thank the Governor, the bill co-sponsors, and all who inspired SB 174 to be an annual day of observance for New Hampshire. It is an honor to be a part of sharing with and educating people about Juneteenth because this is not solely the history of African Americans but our shared American history.”
Paula Tracy has more than 30 years of experience as a news reporter. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire’s writing program with a minor in local government studies, she spent five years as a daily reporter in Massachusetts before returning to her native state where she worked for 25 years as a senior staff reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader, then for several years at WMUR.
A resident of Center Harbor, Paula Tracy will be looking for you In the Hallways of Power-NH in Concord. Contact Tracy at paulatracy6@gmail.com.