This week Portsmouth holds a series of public events ahead of next weekend’s formal dedication of the Portsmouth African Burying Ground.
The public park is the city’s way to mark the final resting places of enslaved individuals as well as free African-Americans who were buried centuries ago but only fully rediscovered more recently.
Portsmouth City Councilor Chris Dwyer has been part of the process of building the park. She says the project has taken the city on a journey and prompted some difficult but important conversations in the community. She joined Weekend Edition with a look back at the process that led up to the dedication ceremonies set for this month.