Martha's Vineyard Invites Visitors to Walk Through Black History

Annually observed during the month of February, Black History Month is a time to remember and celebrate the significant people and events that have created change.

Massachusetts has been a prominent area for noteworthy advocates, writers and moments.

Frederick Douglass spent time living in Lynn and New Bedford and Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at the State House and led a march from Roxbury to Boston Common in 1965.

Get our free mobile app

Martha's Vineyard Has Rich Black History

You may be familiar with names like Douglass and MLK Jr., but were you also aware that a popular vacation destination holds rich history as well? Martha's Vineyard has many stories to share and visitors can discover them along the Martha's Vineyard African-American Heritage Trail.

"The first documented African American free man to come here came in here in 1787. Now, before that, we're still trying to figure out when the first enslaved person came here to the island," said Chris Edgerly, Media Coordinator of the MV African-American Heritage Trail. "Around the turn of the 20th century, late 1800s is when African Americans really started to settle here and start to vacation here. "

Cultural Significance of Inkwell Beach

You may have visited Inkwell Beach on a past visit to the Vineyard.

"Inkwell historically has been known as the Black beach, and its proper name is known as Town Beach," Edgerly said.

The name may have started as a derogatory term, but African Americans reclaimed it as their own as the destination became a safe haven for families and a must-see destination.

"African Americans started to go there and eventually, we just sort of kind of got shuffled there. You know, a group of African American women started swimming there known as the Polar Bears in the 1950s," Edgerly said.

Take a Walk Along the African-American Heritage Trail

The Martha's Vineyard African-American Heritage Trail highlights 40 spots on the island that have a cultural significance, all marked by a plaque.

"The mission was just for people to gain a little bit of knowledge about African American history here on the island if they were to come upon the plaque," Edgerly said.

"We do a tour of Oak Bluffs, then Oak Bluffs and Edgartown and then the full island. So you get very different levels and different history lessons on the individual towns and then the whole island," Edgerly said.

He hopes people walk away with a better understanding and appreciation for the area.

"I think what I fell in love with about African-American Heritage Trail is that, often African American history is portrayed as a struggle, you know, always sort of the second class citizens," he said. "But here on Martha's Vineyard, there's a long history of African Americans being prosperous, being successful and I find that so inspiring."

Five Interesting Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

Gallery Credit: Traci Taylor

Barack Obama Living His Best Life on Martha's Vineyard

Barack Obama has been a Martha's Vineyard homeowner since 2020, but he and his family have a long history on the island. See photos of him on the Vineyard during his presidency and beyond.