PORTLAND, Maine — February is Black History Month, and there's a new tour in Portland that aims to highlight and educate people on the Black history of the city.
"Locals and visitors alike can easily walk the streets in Portland, look around at a majority White population, and think, 'Well, there must not be any Black history here, because I'm seeing a very small Black population,'" Dugan Murphy said.
Murphy is the owner and tour guide of Portland By The Foot, offering three different walking tours, one of which focuses on Black history in Maine and in Portland.
The two-hour tour starts at the First Parish Church on Congress Street.
"The reason we are starting the tour here is because this is part of the legacy of slavery here in Portland," Murphy said.
On the tour, Murphy explains the origins of slavery, how it came to an end, and tons of related information, such as how Mathieu DaCosta got to Maine. He was the first Black person in the state, according to historical records.
"We are talking about a group of people who have always been a small minority, and yet we are also talking about history that is older than English colonization," Murphy told the crowd.
The tour highlights the real stories and the people that built Portland, many of whom you don't hear or learn about in school, like Reuben Ruby.
"The most effective Black political figure in 19th-century Maine," Murphy said of Ruby.
"If I only had one spot to bring you on this tour, it would be here so you can see the Abyssinian Meeting House," Murphy said. "In 1991 the building had been vacant for a number of years, the owner had not been paying taxes to the city of Portland, so the city of Portland took ownership."
Now, the house is in the process of being restored.
"There's a long lineage and history of people working for racial justice and equity in the state of Maine," Beka Bryer, who attended the tour, said.
"And what I find is that if you are willing to go beyond the stories of the people who had a lot of money, the people who are commemorated on plaques and in statues, you often find a much more interesting story," Murphy said as he wrapped up the tour.
Murphy will get back to giving tours to locals and tourists on April 1. You can find more information on the tour here.
A portion of every tour ticket helps fund the restoration of the Abyssinian Meeting House, according to Murphy.