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“I was part of the social justice task force that pushed our sports department to look more into hiring practices,” Mr Williams said. “We’ve also pushed for anti-racist sensitivity training for our coaches and players. It’s all about the community and I’m trying to create what I feel on the island in other areas as well.” Meanwhile, the spirit of activism on the island continues, with events for Juneteenth this summer, receptions in support of Black political candidates’ campaigns, and supplies to benefit college students.
But things at Martha’s Vineyard aren’t always idyllic. At a summer camp run by the Chilmark Community Center on July 29, an event occurred where two white boys draped a tent strap that eerily resembled a noose around a black boy’s neck. The center’s investigation found “we did not find any evidence of overt racial motivation”, but noted that “the races of the movement itself and the three children involved are significant.”
Sophia Hall, a Civil Rights Lawyer in Boston, represents the Black boy’s family. “We are a country that is still trying to figure out how to deal with racism,” he said. “The report released by the community center demonstrates their belief that this is probably not a racialized event as there is no overt racism.” When contacted, the center declined to comment further.
Nicole Groves, a lawyer from New York, started coming to Vineyard 10 years ago when her family bought a place on the island. I caught her outside C’est La Vie, a black clothing store. Especially this summer, he was relieved by the prevalence of faces like him and the presence of Black Life Matters banners flying from homes and shops on the city’s main streets.
This summer, Ms. Groves, 42, was pregnant with her first child, a boy. He said the prospect of raising a Black boy in the current era is “scary”, but Oak Bluffs provides a respite.
“You always feel safe here to have a place where you feel at home and people are walking down the street and ‘nodding’ at you,” he said.
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