Bill would posthumously grant freedom to NH slaves

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A supporter of a New Hampshire bill that would posthumously grant the request of 20 African slaves who petitioned for their freedom during the Revolutionary War says it’s never too late to right a wrong.

Woullard Lett of the Manchester chapter of the NAACP testified at a Wednesday hearing that he hopes passage of the bill will mean the Legislature doesn’t plan to wait another 200 years to address the concerns of the black community today.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Martha Fuller Clarke, D-Portsmouth. It also would bring attention to Portsmouth’s plan for a memorial park at the site of a once forgotten colonial-era African-American burial ground on the edge of downtown. The park will feature engravings of lines written in the freedom petition.