What to Do in Martha’s Vineyard in August
I have spent most of my life in Martha’s Vineyard, I have been coming to this island for more that 35 years and it is truly my happy place. It is a space of Black excellence, rest, growth and connection. In DC one of the first question most people ask is what do you do?? On the Vineyard, you could know people for years and have no idea what they do and it’s so lovely and laid back and focused more on just knowing dope people. One of my favorite things on the island is the Black Owned Business Directory created by India Rose in 2019. She is also the owner of the Sideline where I just bought my new sweatshirt dress that’s become my Polar Bear uniform on the cold windy mornings. It’s been going for 5 years and in print for 3 so check it out for great places to go on the island! There are some interesting things that you can do anytime like the Martha Vineryard’s African American Heritage Trail. Here are some of the events I’m most excited for this summer.
Doing
The 21st annual African American Film Festival
What: This nine-day annual event is one of the island’s biggest events each year. There’s something for everyone at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, from documentaries to comedies, including a sneak peek at Hulu’s much-anticipated series The Other Black Girl, based on the best-selling novel.
Where: MV Performing Arts Center – 100 Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
When: August 4–August 12
Tickets: https://www.mvaaff.com/
12th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest
What: Every August—when African-American cultural pride is at its peak on the island, the annual Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest takes center stage. Each year some of the hottest comedians on the circuit which has included Damon Williams, Tony Roberts, G., AJ Jamal, John Henton, Pierre, B-Phlat, Tony Tone, Howie Bell, Chastity Washington, Honest Williamson, Michael Coylar, Gary “G-Thang” Johnson and many more, perform original stand-up comedy.
Where: Strand Theater
When: Week 1: July 31 – August 4, Week 2: August 7 – 11, Week 3: August 14 – 18
Tickets: https://marthasvineyardcomedy.com/
CRT Summer School 2023 presents Fighting Back to Move Forward: Defending the Freedom to Learn
What: The African American Policy Forum is excited to be Fighting Back to Move Forward at this year’s Critical Race Theory Summer School! Our focus is on the “war on woke,” a dog whistle campaign conservatives have mobilized to undermine our democracy, impair public education, erase historical truths about Black history, circumscribe Black freedom of expression, and roll back the modest gains of the Civil Rights Movement. By revealing how attacks on Black voices and ideas are connected to attacks on Black votes and Black lives, instructors at CRT summer school will provide participants with a roadmap to understanding, and the tools for combatting, growing and coordinated efforts to undermine core features of our democracy. With ever-growing book bans, legislation prohibiting the teaching of CRT, and regressive laws like “Don’t Say Gay,” it has never been more urgent to connect the dots between the freedom to learn and the freedom to live. In that regard, our aim at this year’s Summer School is not only to fight back against the “war on woke,” but also to move forward with a campaign that centers Black history, intellectual traditions, and civil rights organizing as essential to progressive efforts to create a robust, multiracial democracy. Seats are limited, so register here today!
Where: Martha’s Vineyard and Online
When: July 31 – August 3, 2023
Tickets: https://hopin.com/events/crt-summer-school-presents-defending-the-freedom-to-learn
Sankofa Festival: African American Literature & Culture
What: Join us for Sankofa Festival, an annual celebration of African American literature and culture at the Oak Bluffs Library. Head to our website for full calendar events and details. Festival lineup: Day 1: Thursday, August 3
10:30 – 11:30 am: Black Business In A Tourist Economy with India Rose.
12 – 1 pm: Your Personal Finance.
1:30 – 2:30 pm: Reiki with Master Wakenda Johnson.
3:30 – 5:30 pm: Collaborative Art Workshop with Artist Dawn Tree.
6 – 7 pm: Open Mic Night
Day 2: Friday, August 4:
10:30 am. – 12 pm: Author/Artist Talk: Dawn Tree and her Graphic Art of History, “Tulsa Black Wall Street.”
2 – 4 pm.: Waist Beading with Balebe; registration required.
4 – 5:30 pm.: Plant Walk with Alexis Nikole Nelson (AKA @blackforager).
Day 3: Saturday, August 5:
10:30 – 11:30 am.: Special Tap Class Celebrating The Nicholas Brothers.
11 a.m. – 12 pm.: African American Heritage Trail; registration required.
12 – 1:30 pm.: Book Talk: Emma’s “Postcard Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century (Atlantic Migrations and the African Diaspora)” with Faith Mitchell.
6 – 7:30 pm.: Contemporary Writers Panel. Moderated by Toni Kaufman, President of the Martha’s Vineyard branch of the NAACP.
Where: Oak Bluffs Library
When: Thursday, August 3, 2023 to Saturday, August 05, 2023
Tickets: https://www.mvtimes.com/things-to-do-4-2/#!/details/Sankofa-Festival-African-American-Literature-Culture/12185002/2023-08-04T10
Interactive Art Collage Workshop
What: Led by abstract artist and storyteller Dawn Tree, this Interactive Art Collage Workshop is fun for the whole family! Participants will use a variety of art techniques and mediums to create the perfect art collage for the family room.
Where: Oak Bluffs Public Library
When: August 3
Tickets: https://oakbluffslibrary.org/event/interactive-art-collage-workshop/
Author Talk: My People by Charlayne Hunter Gault
What: Charlayne Hunter-Gault, award winning journalist, will speak about her latest book called My People. It is a collection of 50 years of chronicling the civil rights movement and much more that has transpired since then.
Where: Oak bluffs library
When: August 19 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Tickets: https://oakbluffslibrary.org/event/author-talk-my-people-by-charlayne-hunter-gault/
Celebrating Global Black Art and Culture
What: Exhibition featuring the work of local African American artist Janice Frame, Nigerian artist Affen Segun, Ghanaian artist Theophilus Tetteh, and West Coast artist Lily Sol. On view August 8th thru August 16th.
Where: Eisenhauer Gallery – 38 North Water Street, Edgartown MA
When: Thursday, August 10 | 6-8pm
Tickets: https://www.eisenhauergallery.com/
Exhibit: Fibers of My Soul
What: Hosting a mix of local and off-island creatives, guests have the opportunity to wander through the Knowhere Art Gallery and take in a blend of cultures through art.
Where: Knowhere Art Gallery
When: Through August 16
Tickets: https://knowhereart.com/show/357855
The Extraordinary Life of Dorothy West (through September 10)
Celebrate Black history in this enlightening exhibit dedicated to the legacy of Harlem Renaissance writer and Martha’s Vineyard resident Dorothy West. Guests can stroll the exhibit, which features personal photos, to learn more about this literary visionary. Following her life from Boston to New York, Moscow, and Martha’s Vineyard, explore the story of Dorothy West, writer, editor, and youngest member of the Harlem Renaissance. Featuring never-before-seen photographs and objects, this exhibition offers a new look at the “best known unknown writer of her time” and the legacy she left behind.
Where: The Hollinshead, Cox and Fleischner Galleries
When: May 27 to Sept 10, 2023
Tickets: https://mvmuseum.org/exhibition/the-extraordinary-life-of-dorothy-west/
Reading
Here is my book stack for the summer and I’m determined to get through at least half of these by the end of the month. I’ve started April Ryan’s masterpiece and it’s so amazing that I have changed my research topic!!! I’ll be sharing more on that soon as well!! Can’t wait for what’s next!
Eating
Everything Lobster!!! (But not enought to make me sick or allergic cause that would be a tragedy!!)
Watching
Everything at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, more on that shortly!!
