Teaching our history to the next generation

It is the mission of the African American Heritage Trail to uncover and document our community’s complex and interesting stories. Authentic history is often hiding in plain view. It’s in dusty old documents carefully preserved for hundreds of years. It’s locked in cabinets that no one opens. It’s in old stories and strategies, and secrets that could never be shared.

The history of our Island community is not part of a “one size fits all” triumphalist story, but it is a story of those who walked the roads we know. It is a story of memory and place, and the Trail organization tells the stories of our past to honor and include those who went before us. A vital part of that mission is to encourage our young people to think critically and to personalize the experience so that they gain empathy and insight into the experience of others.

One important story uncovered by the Trail was that of Rebecca, the Woman from Africa. The name that her family in Africa would have known her by is not known. She was given the name Rebecca when she survived the Middle Passage and began her life of enslavement. Despite her circumstances, she did contract a marriage with a man named Elisha Amos, a member of the Wampanoag tribe. Upon his death, she inherited property for her lifetime. Her story is memorialized at the Native Earth Teaching Farm, where a sculpture depicting Rebecca created by local artist Barney Zeitz stands guard.

This was the story shared with the graduating seniors from the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School when they came to the farm on May 19 to clean and decorate the sculpture as part of their community service. These young people about to embark on their lives as young adults undertook the job with enthusiasm. They washed and polished until Rebecca gleamed in the bright sun, and then began the beautification. Flowers were gathered to create a crown for the woman whose life had probably not included crowns, rings made from yellow flowers adorned her fingers, and multicolored ribbons covered her. The students worked hard to give Rebecca the recognition of her beauty and her worth as a human being through decorating her as a queen.

The value of community was apparent as Barney Zeitz explained his creative process to the students, one of whom was his mentee, Jack Baer. This young man has worked with Barney for three years, and he listened attentively while Barnie spoke of why he made the sculpture with only one visible arm, explaining how he had visualized Rebecca, and why he had researched Yoruba symbols to decorate her, commenting, “I saw her as a woman from Africa. I wanted her to have some symbolism that she may have understood.”

The relationship between the Heritage Trail organization and the Charter School is a long one. In 2021, the Charter School was dedicated as a site on the African American Heritage Trail in honor of the remarkable work done by the fifth and sixth grade classes in researching the stories of children enslaved on the Vineyard. The student historians concluded that the worst aspect of the loss of freedom was losing one’s own name. Their work is honored at the school as the “Nameless Trail,” memorialized by a bronze plaque mounted on a rock outside the school.

Reflecting on the partnership between the African American Heritage Trail and the Charter School, Director Peter Steadman noted, “Our students have gained a glimpse not only into the painful African American experience on Martha’s Vineyard, but also the heroic ability of people to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The story presented to Charter School students is one of hope. We really value this partnership.”

Elaine Weintraub is a historian and co-founder of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Heritage Trail.