African American History

August 1, 2017

Revisiting Shearer Summer Theatre

Alex Elvin
In the 1940s, a small group of women started the Shearer Summer Theatre. Olive Tomlinson's mother Cutie Bowles was one of them.
Shearer Cottage
African American History
August 24, 2017

Recording Black History on Martha's Vineyard, Filling the Gaps

Louisa Hufstader
A groundbreaking project to record the oral histories of 5,000 African Americans has returned to the Vineyard, with more than three dozen videotaped interviews scheduled over two weeks.
African American History
September 7, 2017

Honoring Our African-American History

Elaine Cawley-Weintraub
The African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard has united communities and augmented the rich fabric of the Island’s history.
African American Heritage Trail
African American History
February 5, 2018

An Island Apart But With a History of Inclusiveness

Skip Finley
Martha’s Vineyard is unique for a lot of reasons, sometimes in ways that aren’t readily apparent.
African American History
National Museum of African American History and Culture
February 22, 2018

Tuesdays in the Newsroom Visits Inkwell Beach and Oak Bluffs Summers

Sara Brown
Olive Tomlinson, Gretchen Tucker Underwood and Skip Finley shared memories of their Oak Bluffs childhoods, moving in the orbit of a tight-knit community of African American summer residents.
Tuesdays in the Newsroom
African American History
May 21, 2018

Grace Church Honored as African American Heritage Trail Site

Holly Pretsky
On Sunday Grace Church became the 28th site on the African American Heritage Trail.
African American Heritage Trail
African American History
Grace Episcopal Church
July 22, 2018

Honoring the Legacy of Judge Herbert Tucker

Noah Asimow
The Edgartown courthouse was celebrated as the 30th site on the African American Heritage Trail, with a plaque honoring district court judge Herbert Tucker.
African American Heritage Trail
February 4, 2019

Black History: Jackie Robinson's Friendship With a Vineyard Family

Jason Gay
This is the unusual story of the unlikely relationship between two families.
Black History Month
African American History
February 20, 2019

Vineyard Abolitionists Stand Tall

Skip Finley
Many contributors to black history weren’t black. Take the abolitionists, for example.
African American History
Civil rights
Slavery
Oak Bluffs history
July 25, 2019

A Man for Many Mediums, Skip Gates Leaves No Stone Unturned

Louisa Hufstader
Henry Louis Gates Jr. has been vacationing on the Vineyard since 1981.
Martha's Vineyard Book Festival
August 1, 2019

Weaving a Narrative of Resilience

Holly Pretsky
An exhibit titled And Still We Rise: Race Culture and Visual Conversations, includes more than 40 quilts and is on display at the Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center in Oak Bluffs.
African American History
February 20, 2020

Growing Up to Give Back, Tankard Siblings Embraced Island Life

Louisa Hufstader
Three Tankard siblings (of 10 total) joined an eager audience of listeners for this month’s Tuesdays in the Newsroom talk.
Tuesdays in the Newsroom

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