This August on the Vineyard showcased what many called a homecoming for Black Americans. Just this past weekend, the Vineyard saw a wealth of Black leaders in literature, politics, film, jurisprudence, and venture capital.

Martha’s Vineyard, the serene island off the coast where the town of Oak Bluffs sits, was historically a summer destination for Black families seeking a reprieve from the segregation and discrimination they faced elsewhere. That tradition continues today, with a calendar of events including the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, discussions on economic growth and Black expansion, the Black Book Festival, and many other events where attendees gather to have a good time.

Our forever first lady, Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson taped an episode of their acclaimed podcast, IMO with guest Natasha Rothwell during Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. Drawing a huge crowd, they got into dating, and relationships, and like a good play-cousin Craig Robinson offered to play match-maker for Rothwell, the audience responded quite enthusiastically, as per the NYTimes. They also talked about the impact and significance of telling stories that depict Black life.

Rev. Al Sharpton sat down with the U.S. Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Ayanna Pressley. According to the NYTimes, representing Texas’s 30th congressional district, Crockett received a standing ovation. 

Reminding the crowd of the history of change and how it was accomplished, Rev. Sharpton shared that “The arts were the ones that financed the movement.” He continued. “Harry Belafonte and Aretha Franklin went on tour so that Dr. King could make payroll.”

In a talk with Tracy K. Wilkes, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discussed her 2024 memoir, “Lovely One," memoir that was heralded as an “unflinching account, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson invites readers into her life and world, tracing her family’s ascent from segregation to her confirmation on America’s highest court within the span of one generation.”

This beautiful annual gathering, where Black people found space to be themselves, break bread, and commune with laughter, and discuss the complexity of race relations and politics, was both important and a respite for many attendees.