Vineyard Gazette Juneteenth Jubilee Program of Events 2024

PROGRAM OF EVENTS Juneteenth J ubi lee

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

JUNE 18-23, 2024

Juneteenth Jubilee

A publication of the Vineyard Gazette Media Group

Publisher Monica Brady-Myerov

Production Director McKinley Sanders

Ad Production

Jared Maciel, Jane McTeigue, McKinley Sanders

Sales Manager Frederica Carpenter

Sales Team

Carrie Blair, Isabela Fernandez, Serena Ward

Marketing and Events Manager Alessandra Hagerty

Marketing Consultant Kharma Finley-Wallace

General Manager Sarah Gifford

The Martha’s Vineyard Juneteenth Jubilee insert is published by the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, P.O. Box 66, Edgartown, MA 02539, vineyardgazette. com, and is distributed free on Martha’s Vineyard. Copyright 2024. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without the express written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to confirm the accuracy of the information in this publication, and the data is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. For advertising and editorial inquiries, contact publisher@vineyardgazette.com.

The Vineyard Gazette Media Group is proud to participate with other Island organizations in celebrating Juneteenth National Independence Day with the Juneteenth Jubilee consisting of several days of activities.

The holiday marks the day in 1985 when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came two and a half years earlier on January 1, 1863, many enslavers continued to hold enslaved Black people captive after the announcement. Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing AfricanAmerican freedom. It became a federal holiday in 2021.

This is our third year celebrating Juneteenth Jubilee on the Island and this year the Island provides many opportunities for fun and education. You can celebrate at Inkwell Beach on the 19th with kayaking and games. Or hear an interesting conversation with a senior Maritime professional about diversity on the high seas (Wednesday, Union Chapel). You can learn about the Vineyard’s involvement in the Underground Railroad as a maritime route for people escaping slavery (Friday, MV Museum). Enjoy live gospel music while eating a delicious brunch (Sunday, Harbor View Hotel). There are many events to choose from and you can find a complete listing on the calendar.

However you choose to mark Juneteenth, we’re honored to have you celebrating with us here on the Island.

The Vineyard Gazette Media Group is grateful to the many organizations making this Jubilee so special including Cape Cod 5, Harbor View Hotel, Hoverfly Media, Inkwell Haven, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, Martha’s Vineyard Museum, Mass Maritime Academy, NAACP – Martha’s Vineyard Branch, Oak Bluffs Association, and Union Chapel Education and Cultural Institute

Funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.

Ray Ewing

Growing up on the island of Tortola, Albion Llewellyn learned early to maneuver a boat, but dreamed of captaining one of the many cruise ships that plied the Caribbean waters. The route to that goal was anything but clear.

It was a visitor from Cape Cod on a fishing charter who observed his skill and urged him to apply to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a suggestion that changed his life.

Now a professor at Mass Maritime with a distinguished career at sea behind him, Lt. Commander Llewellyn has made it his mission to help other people of color find their way to becoming professional mariners. Among the many obstacles, he said, is a lack of common understanding about how to begin.

“Everyone knows if I want to become a lawyer, I go to law school. Same thing with medicine. I want to be a doctor, I know where to go. A ship captain? I have no idea,” he said in a recent interview.

To help mark Juneteenth on Martha’s Vineyard, Lt. Commander Llewellyn will visit Union Chapel on June 19 to talk about his own career and opportunities for people of color in the maritime industry. (See the calendar for details).

According to the International Maritime Organization, more than 2 million people are currently employed in marine occupations. But the marine industry lags behind other professions in the diversity

of its workforce. By one recent estimate, fewer than 7 percent of all workers are people of color, and most of those are in lower-echelon jobs.

The underrepresentation of minorities is especially ironic in light of the history of seafaring in the United States. Throughout the whaling era, African Americans and people of Cape Verdean descent occupied a major role in a back-breaking industry that valued hard work and competence over race or social status. As Oak Bluffs resident and historian Skip Finley recounts in his book Whaling Captains of Color: America’s First Meritocracy, whale ships offered one means of escape from enslavement, with men of color able to rise to positions of authority, up to and including commanding their own ships.

Among these was Capt. Paul Cuffe, the son of a freed slave and a Wampanoag woman who rose to prominence, first as a whaling captain and ultimately as a businessman, philanthropist and abolitionist. By 1811, he was reputedly the wealthiest African American in the United States, operating a fleet of vessels along the Massachusetts coast. Today, Cuffe lends his name to Mass Maritime’s Center for Inclusion, which seeks to promote equity and diversity in the maritime fields.

Mass Maritime is one of six federally funded maritime academies in the United States, each offering a variety of degree and training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime

Mark Alan Lovewell

industry. Programs are vetted by the U.S. Coast Guard, which governs licensing of marine professionals.

A degree from an academy is not essential to a career as a seaman, but offers a faster route than “hawspiping,” a term for working one’s way up through the ranks in the marine industry, according to Llewellyn.

By its nature, a career in the marine industry usually involves working at sea, often for long periods of time. But for those with an affinity for the ocean, the pay can be very attractive. Llewellyn said the average salary for a third mate – an entry level position –tops $100,000 a year. Master seamen in the oil and gas industry can make upwards of a quarter-million dollars, he said.

Llewellyn’s own path to professional seaman almost ended before it began. He was accepted to Mass Maritime in 2003, but could not afford to enroll, he said. The next year, he was able to secure scholarships to help pay his way. He graduated in 2008 with a bachelor of science in marine transportation and logistics.

“I remember my graduation day was June 21 and three days later I was hired by Royal Caribbean and I was flying to Hamburg, Germany for systems training,” he said.

Within three years, Llewellyn had worked his way up to first officer, fulfilling his childhood dream. Returning as an officer on a cruise ship to his native British Virgin Islands, he was hailed by the chief minister, a moment he calls “a big, big deal.”

Still, he was sometimes met with skepticism at a time when Black officers were exceedingly rare. He recalled being interrogated by a superior officer who, even after learning he was an academy graduate, asked to see his license.

For the next two weeks, while Llewellyn had night duty on the bridge, the senior captain camped out on a nearby couch to keep an eye on him, periodically waking up to see if everything was okay, he said.

Lewellyn later worked in the oil and gas industry before returning to Mass Maritime where he earned a master’s degree and began to teach. His experiences of racism have been tempered by the knowledge that his presence is also an inspiration to other people of color.

“I remember I met this Jamaican bartender and when he came and he saw my rank on the wall and it was like, ‘I didn’t know they had brothers on the bridge,’” he said.

“Things are getting better, there is no question about it, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

You can hear Albion Llewellyn Lt. Commander Llewellyn of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy speak about his experiences at a Vineyard Gazette Media Group sponsored event on Wednesday, June 19th at 3 pm Union Chapel, Oak Bluffs. The event is free and open to all, please register.

Making professional maritime training more accessible to people of color requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses both financial and cultural barriers to entry.

Here are several strategies suggested by Lt. Commander Albion Llewellyn:

• Provide financial assistance to underrepresented communities to cover the cost of training programs in the form of scholarships, grants or low-interest loans. “Without a scholarship, I would not be in this position today,” he said.

• Target outreach and marketing campaigns at underrepresented communities to increase awareness of maritime training programs and opportunities. “This is a high-paying profession, and the debt-to-income ratio coming out of a maritime academy is a lot less than from many colleges,” he said.

• Partner with educational institutions to create internships and other opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to gain exposure to and experience in the maritime industry. “Bring them onto the bridge, into the engine room and show them what we do. They’ll see it’s fascinating,” he said.

• Provide mentorship and tutoring for individuals who may struggle with coursework to stay on track and get the support they need to succeed.

• Increase minority representation in high-profile positions, giving prospective mariners models to look up to. “Having someone who looks like you can be a powerful motivator,” he said.

Lt. Commander Albion Llewellyn

TOUR THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE TRAIL

Preserving the legacy, saving the history, educating, building community, honoring the stories

a Tour of the Heritage Trail!

A Massachusetts Nonprofit Educational Foundation - Trustees: Dr. Elaine Cawley Weintraub, Co-founder/Executive Director • Carrie Camillo Tankard, Cofounder

Joseph C. Carter, Reverend • Deborah Finley Jackson • J. Keith Motley Carmen Tankard Amadeo • James Jennings

mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org - email: lightingthetrail@gmail.com - 508 693 4361

Instagram:mvafricanamericantrail - Facebook: African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard

Tuesday, June 18

JUNETEENTH AUTHOR TALK: BLACK HOMEOWNERSHIP ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD | 4-5 PM

Oak Bluffs Public Library, 56R School St., Oak

Martha’s Vineyard has always been a unique island and vacation destination, made even more diverse with the arrival of Black homeowners in the nineteenth century. Please join us in a book talk with authors Richard Lewis Taylor and Tom Dresser as they discuss their new book Black Homeownership On Martha’s Vineyard as they explore the legacy of Black homeownership that thrives to this day. Light refreshments will be served. Free and open to all.

Presented by the Oak Bluffs Public Library

EXHIBIT: SAILING TO FREEDOM: MARITIME DIMENSIONS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD | 10 AM-5 PM DAILY

Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Rd., Vineyard Haven

The Underground Railroad was not limited to land, but included a network of maritime routes along the Atlantic seaboard. This groundbreaking exhibition sheds light on how freedom was achieved by sea, including the waters around Martha’s Vineyard.

Tickets: Free to Members, $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for children 7-17.

Presented by Martha’s Vineyard Museum

Wednesday, June 19

JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION BEACH PARTY | ALL DAY

Inkwell Beach

A celebration of Juneteenth at the Inkwell with kayaking from Island Spirit Kayak, fun and games by The Lazy Frog and refreshments and snacks supplied by the Oak Bluffs Business Association. Free kayak lessons, water safety, and paddle stroke techniques from Island Spirit Kayak. Free and open to all.

Sponsored by Oak Bluffs Association, Island Spirit Kayak and The Lazy Frog

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY | NOON

Tabernacle Flagpole, Oak Bluffs

Join us for a moment of reflection, remembrance, and solidarity as we raise the Juneteenth flag in recognition of this important milestone in American history. Free and open to all.

Presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association

REPRESENTATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY | 3-4 PM

Union Chapel, 55 Narragansett Ave., Oak Bluffs

The maritime industry directly employs more than 2 million seafarers but there is little representation of people of color. Hear from two people working to change that and why it’s important to put diversity at the forefront of the maritime industry.

Panel Speakers: Lieutenant Commander Albion Llewellyn, Associate Professor at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Patrick Nobrega, Director, Capt. Paul Cuffe Center for Inclusion at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Free and open to all.

Moderator: Monica Brady-Myerov, Publisher: Vineyard Gazette Media Group

Presented by the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, MV Chamber of Commerce and Cape Cod 5

AN EVENING WITH DEMOLA “THE VIOLINST” | 5 PM

Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Rd., Vineyard Haven

Join ASALH (Martha’s Vineyard Branch) for an enchanting evening with Demola the Violinist. This event features the internationally acclaimed violinist as part of their 8th Annual Black & White Charity Fundraiser. Experience Demola’s unique blend of classical and contemporary music, which promises to captivate and inspire. This elegant evening supports ASALH’s mission to explore and celebrate African American history and culture. Tickets: $150 per person, mvmuseum.org/demola

Presented by the ASALH Martha’s Vineyard Branch and Martha’s Vineyard Museum

Thursday, June 20

EXHIBIT: SAILING TO FREEDOM: MARITIME DIMENSIONS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD | 10 AM-5 PM DAILY

Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Rd., Vineyard Haven

The Underground Railroad was not limited to land, but included a network of maritime routes along the Atlantic seaboard. This groundbreaking exhibition sheds light on how freedom was achieved by sea, including the waters around Martha’s Vineyard. Tickets: Free to Members, $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for children 7-17.

Presented by Martha’s Vineyard Museum

Friday, June 21

PRESENTATION - SAILING TO FREEDOM: RECOVERING AND RE-CENTERING THE MARITIME DIMENSION OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD | 2 PM

Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Rd., Vineyard Haven

Uncover the maritime pathways to freedom with Dr. Timothy Walker in this captivating presentation about the little-known stories of freedom-seeking by sea and the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad. Dr. Walker will discuss the importance of enslaved African Americans’ labor in southern ports, focusing on African American agency, and how individuals managed escapes from the South to safe harbors in northern cities.

Tickets: $15 MVM Members: $25 Non-Members, mvmuseum.org/events

Presented by Martha’s Vineyard Museum

REPARATIONS AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE! PBS DOCUMENTARY: THE COST OF INHERITANCE | 4-6 PM Union Chapel, 55 Narragansett Ave., Oak Bluffs

A Charles Ogletree Public Forum Series celebration of Juneteenth with a screening and talk back with Executive Producer, Darryl Ford William and Sara Bleich, Harvard Slavery Legacy Fund. Free and open to all.

Presented by the Union Chapel Education and Cultural Institute

Saturday, June 22

JUNETEENTH JUBILEE MUSIC FESTIVAL ‘24 | 1-5 PM

Union Chapel, 55 Narragansett Ave., Oak Bluffs

A community festival to celebrate freedom, joy, and culture featuring actor and singer Malik Yoba. Yoba is best known for his starring role as an NYPD Detective in the police drama New York Undercover. Free and open to all.

Presented by Inkwell Haven Foundation

FESTIVE JUNETEENTH PICNIC ON THE LAWN | 1-3 PM

Edgartown Public Library, 26 Edgartown-West Tisbury Rd. Edgartown

Join the Edgartown Public Library for a festive picnic on the front lawn in celebration of Juneteenth. Chef Look will be cooking on the grill, serving up a family-style lunch accompanied by live music from Andrew Sue Wing, a Boston-based singer/songwriter, and guitarist specializing in R&B. Free and open to all.

Presented by Edgartown Public Library

Sunday, June 23

SUNDAY SERVICE AT UNION CHAPEL | 10 AM

Union Chapel, 55 Narragansett Ave., Oak Bluffs

Rev. Dr. Deborah Finley-Jackson will officiate the Sunday Service. Free and open to all. Presented by Union Chapel

JUNETEENTH JUBILEE FESTIVAL WALK TO WATER CEREMONY | 11:30 AM

Edgartown Public Library, 26 Edgartown-West Tisbury Rd. Edgartown

From Narragansett House to Inkwell Beach | Following the Sunday Service around 11:30

Led by Dr. Jessica Harris at Union Chapel. Free and open to all.

JUNETEENTH GOSPEL BRUNCH | 10 AM Harbor View Hotel, 131 N. Water St, Edgartown

The 3rd annual Juneteenth Gospel Brunch will feature a live gospel performance with a sumptuous brunch with fresh baked goodies, frittata, grilled chicken and lemon tarts with blueberry compote. Tickets: $125

Presented by the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, MV Chamber of Commerce and Cape Cod 5

3RD ANNUAL NAACP TASTE OF JUNETEENTH | 4-8 PM (DOORS OPEN AT 3:30)

Portuguese American Club, 137 Vineyard Ave, Oak Bluffs

Join in honoring black culture, cuisine, and liberation! Explore the culinary talents of local black chefs and indulge in soulfully inspired dishes. Winners of the K-12 arts competition, the Marie B. Allen Juneteenth Creative Arts Contest, will be announced. Tickets: $75 (limited availability at the door)

Presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the NAACP

On the last Saturday of July each year, the town of Oak Bluffs celebrates the life and spirit of late resident Della Hardman — educator, artist, writer and force for good.

July 27, 2024 Ocean Park, 4pm Visit us on Facebook

JOIN US AT THE HARBOR VIEW HOTEL FOR THE ANNUAL

Juneteenth Gospel Brunch

SUNDAY, JUNE 23 | 10 AM

Dine with friends or family on a delicious brunch while listening to the inspirational, triumphant sounds of live Gospel singing at the Harbor View Hotel.

Menu

Fresh sliced seasonal fruit & berries

Cinnamon buns, Danish and Assorted Muffins

Egg white, sun dried tomato & fontina frittata

Applewood Smoked Bacon and Chicken Sausage Patties

Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Honey Lavender Vinaigrette, Arugula and Spiced Pecans

Local Green Salad with Shaved Vegetables, Herb Vinaigrette

Grilled Organic Chicken Breast over Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus, Mustard Jus

Lemon Tarts with Whipped Mascarpone & Blueberry Compote

Assorted Cookies & Brownies

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT | ALL ARE WELCOME | TICKETS: $125

Thank you to our sponsors:

Photos by Jeanna Shepard