When it comes to trailblazing women who are changing the world, Martha’s Vineyard’s very own Arielle Reid Faria is a leader you need to know.
Arielle’s roots on the Vineyard run deep, and her public persona is high-profile in recent years, as she has served as the co-chair for the Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank, and recently announced her candidacy for state representative.
She first came to the Island in the ’80s as a child, as her parents had owned an Oak Bluffs home since the ’60s, and had been visiting for generations. I recently asked Arielle for a sit-down to discuss the idea of my new column, and to seek her ideas on how I might think about covering angles of diversity on the Island. We had a long conversation together, where we reminisced about our mutual appreciation of our families for introducing us to the Vineyard from such an early age, and how liberating being on the Island felt to each of us.
“There is nothing like getting on the boat and breathing in that fresh Vineyard air, feeling like you have that release of stress and anxiety that we so often have in other places. There is something to be said about that release coming to the Island, especially for people of color,” Arielle says.
That rich feeling of liberation was so valuable in Arielle’s life that she wanted to experience it on a full-time basis, and was fortunate enough to have the flexibility to do so in her career. As an entrepreneur working from home with her family, Arielle realized that she didn’t have to wait until she was retired to move to the Island year-round. She moved her family to Oak Bluffs in 2009, and has not left since.
Arielle is a true Renaissance woman who confidently uses her voice to make a powerful impact. She marches to the beat of her own drum, with her mission of connection, community, and culture beating proudly through her chest. She explained to me how this statement was a beautiful union between Island life and the larger worldview: “I adore this community. From the way that we take care of each other to the way that we know each other. That connection is what I would like to see on a bigger picture, in the state, in the nation, and in the world. But in order to maintain that connection and our culture, we have to do it together.”
From my own perspective, whenever I speak to non-Islanders, they always seem astounded by just how diverse our Island is. From the Wampanoag Tribe to the Brazilians, Portuguese, West Indians, Caribbeans, Europeans, and many more, these individuals come from all different backgrounds, and make great contributions to our community. Yet it is amazing how few people know this. I asked Arielle about that: “We value it, we praise it, and we want to maintain it, and in order to do that, we have to uplift our community, we have to remain connected, and take care of everyone here.”
Many of you know Arielle is running as a Democrat for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and although the community is one of her biggest motivating factors, her kids Miles (18 years old) and Christian (14) Hayes, are also a driving force behind her candidacy. She often speaks about the positive example she wants to set for her children, encouraging them to follow in her footsteps and become leaders who thrive in their own communities.
She said, “So many people feel so hopeless, because they are looking at the big stuff and they’re saying, ‘This is so much to take on, how can any one person do it?’ And the fact is, you can’t. But it has to start somewhere. I want to inspire others who may not see themselves going into these positions, to at least consider being in those spaces and elevating their voices as well.”
Arielle’s signature contribution to the Island is her work with affordable housing. Living in Massachusetts all her life, Arielle has known how difficult attaining affordable, sustainable, and healthy housing can be. Arielle’s experience navigating affordable housing began as a young adult after graduating from college.
“When I was younger, I learned that new developments have to have a certain percentage of affordable homes/units,” she said. “I would hunt down different places around Massachusetts, get on their lists, and I was fortunate enough to get the housing. I would get this housing because I educated myself, went through the processes, and would get chosen. Not because I made a ton of money, had special privileges, or had a network of individuals helping me.”
This exposure allowed her to instinctually step up to the plate when she got to the Island and saw the housing circumstances were substantially worse than anything she had seen elsewhere in Massachusetts. She began by talking to community members about what was going on, why things were the way they were, and inquiring about how changes could be made. In 2017, she went on to create a dedicated position on the Edgartown affordable housing committee she was a part of. A part-time job that she turned into a full-time affordable housing manager position allowed her to take initiatives Island-wide, and really work on obtaining the resources that are desperately needed. Around this time she also became co-chair for the Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank, where she began her work for fair housing in legislation.
This coalition not only got legislation passed in all six Vineyard towns, but continued at the state level. Now, nearly $6 billion is being granted to the state for various forms of housing, largely influenced by the ideas generated from our dedicated Vineyard coalition.
Arielle remarks, “As small as we might be in the grand scheme, we are still having a great impact; it compels me to do that much more … We are very proud of the work we are doing, but we also know there is so much more to do.”
