In Oak Bluffs, Strangers Become Family (Published 2021) (2024)

Approaching Inkwell Beach on Martha’s Vineyard on a midsummer day, you feel a magnetic energy in the air. Before you can even see the ocean, familiar melodies waft through a set of speakers, everything from Beyoncé to Earth, Wind & Fire. Once on the small beach, steps from the main strip of Oak Bluffs, you are surrounded by Black beachgoers proudly wearing the insignia of Shaw University, Morgan State University and other historically Black colleges and universities. Members of the “Divine 9” — historically Black sororities and fraternities — glide about in their respective paraphernalia, and revelers of all ages socialize and take photos in the spirit of unfettered kinship. I feel and see Black joy everywhere.

This scene that I encountered is a regular summer occurrence in Oak Bluffs, where Black vacationers have flocked for more than 100 years. Zita Cousens, the owner of Cousen Rose Gallery, grew up summering in Oak Bluffs; her great-aunt owned a house there. “Every summer, everybody in the family would have their weeks that they would spend with Auntie,” she said. “Black people have always come to the Vineyard. We’ve always been here. The beauty of the Vineyard is the tradition of generations.”

Yet younger generations of Black travelers face new challenges, like the rising cost of island real estate and the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately affected the Black community nationwide. Is Martha’s Vineyard still a place of solace for young Black people, as it has been for previous generations? To find out, last month I went to Martha’s Vineyard for the first time, to explore Oak Bluffs, the heart of its Black community.

Strangers becoming family

Walking through Ocean Park, I passed children on bikes and people walking along the trails, occasionally stopping to take photos at the park’s ornate gazebo. Weaving through the charming, pastel-colored gingerbread cottages, I saw people gathered on every porch I passed, chatting over glasses of wine, playing cards, reading or simply enjoying the day. Everyone says hello to everyone, and I often stopped to chat with strangers. I would come to find that this was common; the spirit of the Black family reunion rests over Oak Bluffs, as strangers become family. On my three-day visit, I joined a tour on the African American Heritage Trail, attended the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and experienced a jubilant Sunday church worship service.

While standing in line for homemade fudge at Murdicks, I met Christina Davis, 36, a software developer in Raleigh, N.C. She was laid off two months into the pandemic when her company shut down. “Sitting at home listening to the news as it unfolded was crushing,” she said. “When I started my new job, one of the first things I did was to put down my deposit for the summer house on the Vineyard.””