BETTYE FOSTER BAKER
508-696-9983
I had been a summer resident of Oak Bluffs for only a short time when a friend brought someone to my home she wanted me to meet. This was a woman who perhaps loved Oak Bluffs and the Vineyard as much as life itself.
Her name was Isabelle Washington Powell, known by all as Belle, an Island icon, having first come here some seventy years ago. She was one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever known. To be in her company was to hear some incredible stories of the fascinating life of celebrity, politics past and present and of her continued great love of a man she later divorced, Congressman Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. — pastor of the 15,000-member Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem from 1937 to 1970. I grew up reading about the Powells in the Louisville Defender and other newspapers and history books, but to get to know Belle personally was a lesson in life.
Belle lived in the Highlands in a charming chocolate-brown cottage perched above the road, a cottage purchased in 1937. They named their summer home The Bunny Cottage. The name Bunny Girl was a nickname the late Congressman Powell gave Belle shortly after they met at a mutual friend’s apartment in Harlem, and they changed it slightly to become the name of their cottage in the Highlands. Its whimsical exterior with wood-carved bunnies perched on the railings and yellow rockers with blue pads surrounding the porch belie the serious intent Belle had in mind, which was to preserve a piece of history of one of America’s great civil rights leaders whose Island memorabilia still hangs on the walls in The Bunny Cottage. It was here that Belle spent summers and held court for nearly seventy years before her death last year. She spoke frankly and honestly on all topics, many with deep humor and one could never become bored on that porch. Today, the cottage has been designated as significant by the African American Heritage Trail.
This week, a wonderful new autobiography on the late, inimitable, Isabelle Washington Powell — dancer, actor, social activist, and first wife of the late Congressman Powell — was released. The book is titled Adam’s Belle: A Memoir of Love Without Bounds. The volume consists of 200 pages filled with photographs never before published with the unmistakable voice of the Belle that I knew leaping off the pages. Ms. Burnett, the co-author, has listened closely to Belle’s words and written an exciting book which begins in the early stages of Belle’s life in Savannah, Ga.; her time as a dancer at the Cotton Club and on Broadway during the Harlem Renaissance; and the period where she gives up her life’s ambition and first love — the theatre and dance — to become the First Lady of Abyssinian Baptist Church. In Ms. Burnett’s words, “Only a drama queen like Belle could meet a real-life Prince Charming and give up everything to marry him.”
Joyce Burnett spent 10 years working with Belle Powell to complete the book. I recall meeting Ms. Burnett on Belle’s porch several years ago. She was the perfect fit to co-author the book. It is obvious that Ms. Burnett became fascinated with the life of Belle, who was center stage during the 1920s, making entertainment history with the notables of the day at a time when African Americans could not enter the Cotton Club as patrons to enjoy her immense talents.
It was Evelyn Horad, friend of Belle Powell and former journalist and social columnist for the Washington Afro-American Newspaper, who knew of her interest in writing a memoir and introduced Joyce Burnett as a potential biographer. Joyce and Belle got along famously and a wonderful book is the result.
Joyce Burnett, an attorney, has an interesting background in her own right. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, earned four degrees and was a Fulbright Scholar.
It was Belle’s dream that the book be completed prior to her death and though that was not to be, it is finished.
There will be a book-signing the weekend of August 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. at L’Elegance, 73 Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs. When you read this fascinating account of the life of a woman many of you knew in Oak Bluffs, you may be surprised to learn that you didn’t know it all! Books may be ordered from the Web site: adamsbelle.com. As an add-on, the state of New York will be celebrating the anniversary of Mr. Powell’s 100th birthday this fall.
By the way, Belle Powell’s sister, Freddie Washington, who starred in the well-known film, Imitation of Life, shares a spot on the new Black Heritage Stamp with Duke Ellington.
Asha Thulani Rhodes, the very talented daughter of Ed Rhodes Jr. and Cottager Dr. Joanne Edey-Rhodes, will be performing with the Jamal Jackson Dance Company at the Yard on August 1 and2. This is an exciting group.
On Saturday, August 2, Ida and Kurt Gear of 15 Thompson avenue will host a summer cocktail fundraiser for the Masaki Hospital in Tanzania. There will be food, drink and a live band. Suggested donation is $50.
The two-day All Island Art Show at the Tabernacle will be held on August 4 and 5 at 10 a.m. On August 4, adult art will be on display. On August 5, the Junior Art Show, art from children through age 15 will be accepted between 9 and 10 a.m. There will be a limit of two entries per child, at 50 cents per entry. Prizes will be awarded.
The African American Film Festival (Run and Shoot) will be held August 6 to 9, at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. Registration is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out the itinerary at mvaaff.com.
The Cottagers Inc. Annual Luncheon Fashion Show will be held at Lola’s on Thursday, August 7 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. Call 508-693-2887. This year’s theme is Stepping Out in the 60s. All proceeds go to island charities.
The Martha’s Vineyard NAACP and the Oyster Bar and Grill are presenting a series of four summer luncheons with guest speakers to benefit the Island branch of the NAACP. Lunch will be served at 12:30, at a cost of $30 per luncheon.
Attendees will be treated to an exciting and accomplished group of guest speakers who have met success in a broad range of careers representing broadcasting, entrepreneurship, organizational management and human resources, writing, medicine, and policy making. All Islanders are invited to attend, have lunch and participate in the dialogue. The luncheons will be held at the Oyster Bar, 57 Circuit avenue, Oak Bluffs. The schedule is follows:
Friday, August 8: Skip Finley. Mr. Finley has been a broadcaster since 1971. He has worked in radio sales, station management, network radio, and has been advisor to several broadcast related companies. He was chief executive officer of American Urban Radio Networks until joining KBC Broadcasting Holdings as vice chairman in 2003.
Friday, August 15: Yvonne R. Jackson. Ms. Jackson is president of Beecher-Jackson, a management and human resources consulting firm. She has been a leader in Human Resources, having worked in three Fortune 500 companies.
Friday, August 22: Sharon Robinson. Sharon Robinson has captivated readers with her memoir Stealing Home (Harper Collins Publishers, 1996), with her recounting of growing up in the public eye as the daughter of Jackie Robinson. In addition to her writing career, Ms. Robinson is an educational consultant for Major League Baseball.
Friday, August 30: Dr. Gregory Tignor and Dr. Ernest Hardaway. Dr. Tignor specialized in epidemiology of infectious diseases at John Hopkins. Later, he became deputy director of the Yale Arbovirus Research Unit supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Dr. Hardaway spent his career in dentistry and public health. He held the position of commissioner of public health, Washington, D.C.; regional director of two regions‚ Federal Employee Occupational Health Programs; and was a professional staff member on the Ways and Means Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.
Call for tickets early (508-696-5785). Seats are limited.
Thursday, August 7, at 6 p.m. is Movie Night at the Oak Bluffs Public Library. The DVD release is rated PG-13 and will be shown on a large projection screen. Please come out and join the group for an uplifting drama and comedy about a group of Egyptian musicians that must unexpectedly spend an evening in a small Israeli town. Popcorn and refreshments will be served! Call Matt Bose at 508-693-9433 for more details.
On Tuesday, August 12 at 6 p.m., the Oak Bluffs library will be featuring a documentary, A Pillar of Salt — the Angry Woman syndrome. The documentary delves deeply into the subject of anger and women in today’s contemporary society and examines the root cause of anger and the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual effects of this greatly misunderstood emotion. There will be time for questions and discussion, and to meet the director, Hafiz Farid! Call 508-693-9433 for information.
Henrietta (Retta) Venables came from Winter Park, Fla., to celebrate her 87th birthday in Oak Bluffs on July 31. She is visiting her daughter, Sandra Slater and her husband Charlie at 19 Plymouth avenue. They are renting the home of Scott and Ivy O’Brien. She was joined by her son, David Venables and his wife Beth as well as her daughter, Evelyn Moreno and her granddaughter, Sophia Moreno.
Henrietta travelled through New York city where she visited her granddaughter, Hannah Slater, and her grandson, Marcus Novacheck and his wife Sunny and her granddaughter, Grace. This is her third trip to the Island to enjoy porch reading, ocean breezes, and family gatherings.
Planning a wedding, anniversary, family reunion, special tribute? Have guests coming? Let me know. This column shares memories, coming events and all that’s new and exciting in Oak Bluffs. And by the way, don’t forget to open your gifts.
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