‘The Blacker the Berry,’1 or Finding Black History and Black Joy on Martha’s Vineyard

I had never heard of Martha’s Vineyard until The View co-host Sunny Hostin talked about it on 4 May 2021 as the setting of her novel Summer on the Buffs (2021). Her comments about the rich Black history of Oak Bluffs and the public selfsegregated Inkwell Beach piqued my interest and curiosity. Having visited the Vineyard three times now, it is a destination that speaks to Black excellence and independence and a racial co-existence unthreatened by white economic resentment that characterizes so much of US history—“Black Wall Street” (Tulsa, Oklahoma) in May 1921, Rosewood (Florida) in January 1923, and Ocoee (Florida) in November 1920. While still mostly white though politically progressive, the island vibe is both welcoming and idyllic, offering an escape from the proverbial “real world” to those who can afford to travel or live there.