Our Story

In the beginning…

Martha’s Vineyard Black Lives Matter (MV BLM) began in the spring of 2020 when Dana Nunes decided to stand on Beetlebung Corner in Chilmark for a week in honor of the Black lives lost to racial-based violence.  Her courageous individual protest and act of defiance caught the attention of fellow Islanders who began joining her on the grassy corner.  Soon, an average of 45-55 people showed up every day.  A week turned into 25 weeks and evolved into vigils that continue to this day.  As a group, we shared the stories and honored the memories of beloved Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters who were killed as a result of police violence, systemic racism and unjust oppression.  We knelt daily for 8:46 seconds (later amended to 9:27 seconds) to always remember George Floyd and others and to feel a fraction of the pain, grief and suffering this violence inflicts on our fellow citizens.

“The day after George Floyd was murdered by cops, I drove by Beetlebung Corner and saw my friend, Dana Nunes, standing holding a sign that read, “We said Black Lives Matter.  We didn’t say only Black Lives Matter.  Do you understand?”  I think I may have done something like a thumbs up.  Good for you, Dana.  And then the next day, there were two.  Amy Schumer, the comedian, who turns out to not just be funny, but a fierce activist and wise woman.”  - a fellow vigil attendee 

In addition to gathering to kneel every day, regular participants initiated or joined a number of activism projects.  The kneeling vigil inspired writing postcards to Florida voters for Swing Left prior to the November presidential election, creating art to sell for funding the local NAACP, and marching to raise awareness of systemic racism and police violence, just to name a few.  Many MV BLM members joined the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition, a community-based initiative aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion work on the Island.  We worked alongside the Coalition on a variety of initiatives such as expanding the Island libraries’ literature about racial equity, and brought an implicit bias training to Island police departments. 

Furthermore, Dana Nunes, Amy Schumer and Awet Woldegebriel developed the “Summer Salon,” a discussion series held at The Yard in Chilmark aimed at actionable approaches at attacking systemic racism.  These in-depth conversations offered participants a chance to discuss race, identity, white supremacy, and systemic structures aimed at suppressing BIPOC in America.  The facilitated dialogue helped people to commit to tangible and action-oriented ways in which to bring about change in their daily lives and define how to be better allies.

Where We Are Currently

After almost 25 weeks of daily vigils, the in-person vigils migrated to Zoom in late November 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic virus cases rose and temperatures dropped.  In June, 2021, in-person vigils resumed at the Chilmark Library, Chilmark, MA. We met through the summer of 2021 and 2022. After honoring hundreds of BIPOC/AAPI people who were hurt or killed by law enforcement; we changed the format of our gatherings. We now meet throughout the summer and early fall on the first and third Sunday at 9:30 AM, alternating between the Chilmark Library and Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. We have a silent reflection and sharing. We offer announcements, and urgent and ongoing “Angst Into Action” suggestions such as events to attend, petitions to sign, legal cases to follow, organizations to donate to, and letter-writing and social media campaigns to join.

We encourage participation and interaction! Sign up for our newsletter to get our gathering reminders and updates. Watch some of the previous honorings on our YouTube page.

We are MV-based or circulating, approximately 400 members strong, and are a collective of like-minded people who believe in an inclusive movement, committed to co-creating the United States we want to live in.  We believe in a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings.   We go inwards, reflect together, take responsibility, and take action to transform systemic racism in ourselves, our communities, and our country.  We find joy, courage, consistency, and big possibility in doing so together.  Through this monthly ritual of gathering, we take another step toward healing racialized trauma, unconscious bias, intergenerational pain, and blind spots.  We are working toward a world where Black lives and historically marginalized people are no longer systematically targeted for demise.  Together, we practice slowing down our assumptions, conclusions, and judgments.  We are committed to deep and active listening.  We consider the African proverb - “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  We’re choosing to go together.  And we are learning, through practice, what a beloved community could actually be.