Martha's Vineyard has become a hub for African American intellectual and cultural life, playing host to gatherings by elite social clubs.
ExpandIt was early in August when my husband and I arrived on Martha’s Vineyard and ventured out by bicycle to try to get a feel for the island.Advertisement
Over the years, Martha’s Vineyard has become known as a hub for African American intellectual and cultural life, playing host to gatherings by The Links, Jack and Jill, and other elite social clubs. And that’s not to mention the Washington power brokers who migrate to the island each summer.
“The Vineyard is our happy place,” explained Stephanie Tavares-Rance, the festival's co-founder. “It's a place where people who look like me can be themselves and chill and just exist. The ancestors are in the air. It's a great homecoming.” Juanita Stephens, Alicia Etheredge, and guests attend the Women's Luncheon during the 2022 Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival on Aug. 9, 2022, in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
“Then in the ’60s, when things were really heating up racially in Boston, it became a safe haven for mixed-race families,” added Bradley-Burns, who owns a house in Oak Bluffs with her wife, Melissa. “I was born into one of those families. My mom is white, my dad is Black, and this was a place where they could come and be together without judgment.”
A young girl fishes as the sun sets August 7, 2009, in Menemsha, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard.