The Island is gearing up for a major Juneteenth weekend to celebrate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the U.S.
Often observed through celebrations of African American culture and pride, Juneteenth is recognized annually on June 19, and Island individuals, organizations, and businesses are coming together to recognize the important holiday that was just added to the national calendar last year.
A special screening and discussion of the documentary film “Jubilee, Juneteenth, and the Thirteenth,” on Friday, June 17, at 5 pm at Union Chapel welcomes Leon Wilson, CEO of the Museum of African American History of Boston and Nantucket, along with Kerri Greenidge, professor of race, colonialism, and diaspora at Tufts University. The event is presented by the Union Chapel Education and Cultural Institute and the Museum of African American History.
For more than 20 years the Renaissance House, a retreat for writers of color and writers on social justice, has produced the Frederick Douglass speech event “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” The event has historically taken place at Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs, and that tradition will continue this year on Saturday, June 18, at 10:30 am. A rain location is planned at the MVTV studio at 58 Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road.
Also on Saturday, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum will celebrate Juneteenth with two keynote speaker presentations: Author Cheryl LaRoche will share her book “Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: The Geography of Resistance,” at 10 am, and author Barbara Krauthamer will present a book she co-authored, called “Envisioning Emancipation — Black Americans and the End of Slavery,” at 11 am. To cap the museum event, research librarian Bow Van Riper will discuss the “Stepping Stone to Freedom: Martha’s Vineyard and the Atlantic World.”
The Juneteenth Jubilee, from June 17 to 19, is presented by the Vineyard Gazette Media Group in collaboration with several other Island organizations and businesses. The event provides information about the African American history of Martha’s Vineyard, and how seagoing vessels coming to and from the Island enabled some slaves to escape captivity.
Circuit Arts hosts a screening of “Resilience and Recognition: Short Films Through a Black Lens,” on Saturday, June 18, starting at 5 pm at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. Three of these films screened at the recent Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, and all have been directed or produced by individuals with ties to the Vineyard.
The African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard (AAHTMV) will kick off the Juneteenth schedule of events on Saturday, June 18, from 3 to 4 pm in the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. AAHTMV executive director Elaine Cawley Weintraub will present alongside Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association president Andrew Patch, and MV NAACP president Arthur Hardy-Doubleday. The group will present “Sharing Island Stories and Trail Blazers.”
On Sunday, June 19, at 11 am, a haunting sculpture of Nancy Michael will be unveiled at the Memorial Wharf in Edgartown. Carrie Camillo Tankard and Weintraub will share Michael’s story, and the story of a slave named Esther who escaped to freedom on Martha’s Vineyard.
Island sculptor Barney Zeitz will present a sculpture of Michael and explain the impetus behind his creative project, and Hardy-Doubleday will present his perspective on the value of learning the African American history of Martha’s Vineyard.
Weintraub said the whole idea of spending a weekend dedicated to this previously ignored festival is a powerful development in public and community thinking. “There is so much to do, and anything you do will be illuminating, exciting, and you will know something that you didn’t before,” Weintraub said. She is particularly excited for the unveiling of the sculpture, saying that Nancy Michael has been on her mind ever since she came across her obituary on an old microfiche. Weintraub began tracking her story, and found that Michael was an influence on many in Edgartown. She was also thought to have supernatural powers, and would either bless or curse whalers as they left for their voyages. “Having the sculpture unveiled at Memorial Wharf is very special. This is like bringing her back home,” Weintraub said.
According to Zeitz, he was approached after installing the plaque commemorating the life of Emma Chambers Maitland, a Black world lightweight champion boxer, dancer at the Moulin Rouge, teacher, and nurse. “I did that piece, and that was one of Elaine’s favorites. She really wanted me to do a Nancy Michael sculpture,” Zeitz said. Zeitz and others began fundraising in order to make the sculpture a reality, then got to work on the detailed piece. “This sculpture will be rather refined and delicate, and it will have a lot of meaning behind it — hopefully it will evoke a lot of emotion and response,” Zeitz said. He said the diversity sculpture he installed in Fall River seems to be making an impact in the community. He said one time, several young people of color almost broke into tears when they first viewed the Fall River sculpture. “They just can’t believe that it’s there. They realize, ‘This is for me, and it celebrates me,’” Zeitz said. “Most people don’t want to know that there were slaves on Martha’s Vineyard, but there were, and there are many stories that are lost to history about the plights of those who were enslaved or previously enslaved and seeking refuge.”
Also on Sunday, Dunmere by the Sea, a historic house on Pennacook Avenue in Oak Bluffs that has welcomed African American writers and creatives since 1880, will be dedicated as site No. 34 on the AAHTMV.
Experience a taste of the soulfully inspired dishes that reflect the Black cultural experience, with many different cuisines from BIPOC chefs, fused with diverse culture and traditions, at the “Taste of Juneteenth,” on Sunday, June 19, from 6 to 9 pm. The Portuguese-American Club hosts the event, which is organized by the MV NAACP.
Also on Sunday, the Carnegie Heritage Center will join the Vineyard Gazette in presenting “Finding Stories of Freedom,” a panel discussion featuring the New Bedford Historical Society, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, the Vineyard Gazette, author and curator Michelle Moon, and local historian Skip Finley. The Carnegie will also host a series of special events, including the premiere of a portrait of whaling captain Amos Jeffers Jr. by renowned artist Elizabeth Whalen on June 21, at 5 pm.
On the following weekend, the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition hosts a number of events honoring Juneteenth and Island racial history. On Friday, June 24, at 5:30 pm, a plaque dedicated to the African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard will be displayed at the Tabernacle, then at 6:30 pm, the history of early residents of color at the Campground will be discussed. The next day, on Saturday, June 25, from 2 to 6 pm, there will be delicious food, vendors, Island artisans, community service organizations, and a health and job fair available at the Diversity Fair at the Tabernacle. At 3 pm there will be a wine reception at the Cousen Rose Gallery, along with a meet and greet with MVCMA president Andrew Patch. Proceeds from Sandy Pimentel’s artwork will be donated to the diversity coalition. After the fair, live music and entertainment curated by MVY Radio will kick off at 6:30 pm.
Doubleday said Juneteenth is a reminder “that the ‘40 acres and a mule’ never materialized.” It’s also a reminder, he said, of how many false promises the U.S. has made to the BIPOC community. But the celebration itself is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on amazing scholars, musicians, chefs, artists, and many other elements of BIPOC cultures.