The African American Heritage Trail and the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School began an exciting collaboration in 2020, when Deirdre Brown’s history classes worked with the trail to clean and restore the Old Marine Cemetery in Oak Bluffs. Brown’s landscaping expertise was very valuable as years of undergrowth were cut back to reveal a clear path to the site at the cemetery honoring the life of Rebecca Martin, whose mother, Nancy Michael, was born into enslavement on Martha’s Vineyard, and whose son, William A. Martin, became the Island’s only African American whaling captain.
The collaboration continued throughout 2021, when the fifth and sixth grade students embarked on a project to research and capture as many names as possible of children who were enslaved on the Vineyard. Using archival resources, they found the stories and painted rocks with the name of the child they had chosen for their study. It quickly emerged that it was impossible to know the true names of these children. We only knew the names that they had been given as part of their enslaved status. The students asked the most profound question: “What were the names their family would have called them?” To that there was no answer. The book “A Good Name Is More Precious than Gold or Silver” traces the fifth and sixth graders’ voyage of discovery, and the project culminated in the placing of a plaque titled “The Nameless Trail” at the Charter School, making it a site on the African American Heritage Trail.
The book was published by the Heritage Trail, and is book two in a series of three books telling the story of enslavement of children on Martha’s Vineyard. The students’ work was photographed, and their input included. The book focuses on the work of the Charter School students as they researched the stories of individuals they had chosen, and culminates with the dedication of the “Nameless Trail” plaque at the school. The book is available from the Heritage Trail at mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org, and the Charter School has copies.
Reflecting on the project, Peter Steedman, Charter School director, noted the profound impact that this project had on the students. “It was empowering work, and this is the right age to introduce our young people to this research, and the power of history as a story with multiple interpretations. They gain empathy and compassionate insight into complex issues, and that prepares them to be active citizens. It’s important that we all learn to appreciate diversity, and our students’ work with the trail validates their own experience. I think it’s particularly important that the trail focuses so much on women’s experiences and history. We all need to see those stories.”
In 2023, a project began based on the story of the five women from West Tisbury and Chilmark who traveled to North Carolina during the terrifying times of the civil rights struggle to help register voters, and who were among the founding members of the Vineyard’s chapter of the NAACP. This work embraced the community, and members of the families of the Vineyard Five came into the classroom to discuss with the fifth and sixth graders their recollections of that time of protest.
Woollcott Smith, whose mother Nancy was one of the Vineyard Five, told his story of traveling on the integrated buses that went to the South in the 1960s as part of the Freedom Rides. The films that show the violent reaction to the Freedom Riders took on a new and enhanced meaning when the students learned that one of those Freedom Riders was sitting in their classroom, telling his story. For the young people listening to him, it was a reminder that history is real, and that we can all play a part and make our own choices. That knowledge gives the students agency as learners. They too can take action, and they have learned the power of evaluating issues from that perspective.
Freedom Cartwright, a fifth and sixth grade history teacher, noted, “Students have to learn how to navigate what can be an awful world. They are bombarded with conflicting theories from those who have many agendas. Our work with the trail gives them access to information, and empowers them to be both listeners and storytellers. This is the place where we live, and it is so important that the Heritage Trail documents our histories by markers. Those physical markers help us to learn the stories of those we see and those we cannot see. They are a physical reminder of the past we share. I feel that being part of the trail gives legitimacy to what I do as a history teacher. It is what I am there to do. It is the grounding of the purpose of the Charter School, honoring lifelong learning and project-based approaches to the history of the place where we live.”
The collaboration between the Heritage Trail and the Charter School continues with a study of the history of African American property ownership in the town of Oak Bluffs. There is a deep history in that town of historic properties bought at a time when access to financial systems was very limited for people of color. Despite the pervasive racism of the early 20th century, homes were bought, and in many cases, are still owned through five generations of the same families. The stories of how the families who bought homes in the historic Highlands area of Oak Bluffs strategized to buy those homes are part of the Heritage Trail tours. The Charter School seventh and eighth grade toured the Highlands last week to visit the historic Shearer Cottage, the Powell House, and Coleman’s Corners. They met with homeowners Jocelyn Coleman Walton and Carrie Camillo Tankard. They walked the roads steeped in the history of African American ambition and hard work, and saw for themselves the places where the stories began.
“I want this collaboration to continue,” notes Steedman. “We have a rare opportunity to engage our students in critical thinking, and have their contributions included in this extraordinary project. This relationship has had a profound impact on our community.”
Plans are being made to do restoration work on the Heritage Trail site at Great Bight Reserve in Chilmark honoring Rebecca, the woman from Africa. There will be an honoring ceremony in the spring that will be an opportunity to engage the young people at the Charter School in further restoration of the Island’s history.
Elaine Cawley Weintraub is an educator and cofounder of the African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard.
The story of the collaboration between the Charter School and the African American Heritage Trail is very moving. I hope their work together continues and deepens. the students are very much at the appropriate age to engage in this learning, and pass it on to those coming after them. Their work can contribute a great deal to understanding among different groups and individuals. They can help build and strengthen community.
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