Opinion
From the March 8, 1974 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: Memo, personal and confidential. To: the world off-Island. Re: the difficult decision, in view of life’s little uncertainties, whether to summer on Martha’s Vineyard.
Why Black History Month
Were it not for slavery
There would be no
Black History Month
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Or a Malcom X
No Barack Obama
Our first Black President
And arguably, no America
As we know it
Built on sweat and tears
Of free labor
Over hundreds of years
Making a young nation
Prominent and wealthy
Beneficiaries of a servitude
Both north and south
Until slaves were freed
Only to endure Jim Crow
Discrimination and segregation
I appreciate the technical, legal and subjective arguments over managing Chappaquiddick beaches to accommodate responsible over-sand vehicle (OSV) access.
Sand scraped against the blades of our ice skates as we headed out into the middle of Squibnocket Pond.
Once again, our Island Community, both near and far, wrapped its collective arms around Red Stocking 2023 . . . our 85th year!
At a ceremony in the State House’s Hall of Flags, Rep. Terrence P. McCarthy was presented with a flag for the new state of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.