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Events |
August 31, 2002
Afrcian American Heritage Trail Holds Celebration Event
By Elaine Cawley-Weintraub
Article from The Vineyard Gazette, August
30, 2002
The African American Heritage Trail History Project of Martha's Vineyard serves
as a source of participative community education and celebration.
Its vision is of an island history that embraces the contributions
of all: a history in which all of our people can find their stories.
There are great commonalities between peoples and the events that
have shaped our wider world have played out on our own Island stage.
In recent years, the Trail has honored the Wampanoag Tribe for the
role that it played in the rescue of a fugitive from enslavement
during the years of compromise between the states that preceded
the Civil War, and the fishing community of Menemsha for their anonymous
journey with the fugitive to New Bedford, and on to freedom. The
plaques that were placed on the tribal land at West Basin and in
the village of Menemsha honor the human spirit of courage and generosity
that prompted those islanders to disobey the provisions of the Fugitive
Slave Act, and to follow their individual consciences.
The landladies of Oak Bluffs whose spirit of entrepreneurship created
a place for people of color to stay on the island in the early twentieth
century were also Heritage Trail honorees. There is a bench at Hiawatha
Park dedicated to the changes they created, and one at the home
of Mrs. Ora McFarlane at 121 Lower Circuit Avenue. Other jewels
on the Trail include the home of Charles Shearer, a man who began
his life in enslavement and ended it as a respected owner of a home
that hosted guests such as Paul Robeson, Adam Clayton Powell and
Harry Burleigh. The story of John Saunders, who is reputed to have
brought the methodist religion to the Island, is celebrated at Pulpit
Rock on the land bank property adjacent to Waterview farms. The
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School houses a plaque that celebrates
the achievements of the multi ethnic basketball teams of the 1970ıs.
Three murals, painted by students Joe Murphy, Bronwyn Burns, Lauraye
White and Brooke Emin, decorate the school. They relate some of
the stories of the people whose lives are commemorated on the Trail.
The Heritage Trail History Project was responsible for the research
into the life of William Martin, the Island's only African American
Whaling Captain. His was an American success story. Martin was the
grandson and great-grandson of enslaved women who rose to become
a master of the whaling ships. His grandmother, Nancy Michael, a
woman of power in Edgartown maritime life, has a plaque dedicated
to her on the Memorial Wharf. His great grandmother Rebecca Amos,
the woman from Africa is honored at a site at Great Bight Reserve
where a custom has evolved of visitors leaving shells, feathers,
rocks, anything that is of natural beauty, to honor the life of
this remarkable woman.
This is the story of the Heritage Trail and its continuing mission to
embrace all of our communities and to honor their memories and
contributions. The Trail is now involved in an ambitious quest where it
is hoped to acquire the home of William Martin and preserve it for the
whole Island. It is hoped that the house, which is an architectural
treasure though in urgent need of renovation, can be saved and become a
center of research into Island history for use by all who love and cherish
our Island heritage.
The Trail is holding a celebration of history and community on August
31st to share the story of Captain Martinıs house. It is a unique
physical reminder of our whaling history. The house is a testimony to the
determination and talent of William Martin. It is a tangible reminder of
the struggle of an African American man to become a master of the whaling
boats. It stands as evidence of his success and acceptance within the
whaling community. It stands on Chappaquiddick, an old saltbox, one of
the last of its kind. If it is allowed to disappear then one of our last
tangible links with the maritime past that honored the expertise of all
mariners will be lost forever.
Jennifer Clark of the Facing History and Ourselves institute will be the
keynote speaker at the Heritage Trail event . She will speak of the
importance of memory and tradition in honoring all of the stories and help
her listeners recognize the tragic impact that racism, anti semitism and
all forms of prejudice have had on our ability to truly understand our
shared humanity.
The community history celebration will be held at Vila Rosa on Beach
Road in Oak Bluffs. Presently the home of the Zila family, this house was
once the property of Joe Overton who was a political organizer in Harlem.
The house has been magnificently restored to its Victorian grandeur, and
Mr. Zila has a guest book that shows that the Overton family entertained
such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson and
Harry Belafonte. It is interesting to observe that all of these famous
Americans touched the lives of people from outside their own community, and
their own country. As a child, I often heard the expression ³before you
could say Jackie Robinson.² It referred to how quickly something had
happened. I knew that expression long before I had ever heard of Jackie
Robinson, the famous baseball player. Dr. Martin Luther King, the worldıs
most famous warrior for peace, is a household name all over the world and
has served as a role model for oppressed peoples everywhere. When Malcolm
x prayed with muslims from all over the world at Mecca, he became a citizen
of that world, and a model for spiritual renewal.
The path has been made for the Trail by the strength and courage
of those whose lives had an international impact and those who quietly
made their own path through walking it here on the Vineyard. The
community celebration invites all to join in sharing and honoring
our Island story. |
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