November 2022
What's Going On?
We hope your gardens are put to bed and you're enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We're back to virtual monthly meetings this Sunday, November 6th at 10:30 AM. Please join us via Zoom. If you can't make it, check out our MVBLM YouTube page and watch many of the presentations. Please like the page when you're there to enable improved services.

A few more things...
And The Survey Says: We heard from 15 people -- thank you to those who responded. Here's what we learned:
  • You like the cadence of communication.
  • You find the newsletters informative and an "excellent" resource.
  • You want us to continue supporting Neighborhood First and offer the Indigenous Awareness training.
  • You want us to organize anti-racism training/education.
  • The vigils continue to be very relevant.
  • You're less interested in fundraising for political campaigns and letter/postcard writing.
Remember those childhood games of tag? We feel like we're "it" and most people have scattered. Please don't run away. We invite you to step back in and reengage with MVBLM. We're looking for leaders and assistance with communications. Please consider yourself tagged. Send a note to hello@mvblm.org and tell us what you'd like to do -- we need you!

We need speakers: Please contact Dana Nunes if you'd like to present at an upcoming vigil.

Angst to Action
Truth about Thanksgiving 2022


As the nation plans family gatherings for the upcoming national Thanksgiving holiday, please teach our history at your gathering. The romanticizing of Manifest Destiny -- the theory European colonizers used to justify invasion, land taking, and brutal genocide (a.k.a western expansion) -- leads to a country awash in lies and myths. Millions of Native People lived on the land we call the United States prior to its colonization, and many still do.

If you're on the island on November 17 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Sassafras Education Earth Education is offering a free speaking event hosted by Wôpanâak elder David Two Arrows Vanderhoop at the Oak Bluffs Library, 56R School St., Oak Bluffs. There will be an acknowledgement of the Wampanoag territory and people, a thanksgiving address, an account of the true historic events that lead up to the celebration of this holiday, an explanation of why and how harm continues today, and a call to action to bring a message of truth to your dinner table.

If you're not on the island, you can still take action. Research who's land you're on and do a land acknowledgement on Thanksgiving day. If you haven't done one before, here's a guide you can follow. And, here's a map of native people's land across the world.
More To Do
Affirmative Action is On The Table: SCOTUS is deciding on whether affirmative action will disappear. Read this Emancipator article to learn more about how the case against Harvard supports more affirmative action, not less.

What Are GenForward (18-36 year olds) Thinking? Check out this data set compiled by University of Chicago professor, Cathy J. Cohen to find out. It's a fascinating glimpse into what's important to this crowd.

What To Do With $30 Billion? End systemic racism of course. Wishful thinking, but J.P. Morgan pledged this amount. Take a look at where the money went in this NYT article.

What's Your Internet Speed? If you live in a mostly white neighborhood (ah hem, Martha's Vineyard), you may experience a much faster internet than if you live in a historically Black neighborhood. Find out what AT&T is doing to maintain inequity by charging more for less.

Does Crime Go Up With Progressive Prosecutors? Get the scientific response in this research from the University of Toronto.

Central Park Built On Top A Black Community: I recently toured the Olmstead home in Brookline, MA. Noone mentioned this history of his most famous park.

This One's Depressing: The Supreme Court October Massacre.

Listen to Shed, a podcast series featuring interviews with islanders working to end systemic racism. Eric Adams leads each discussion using the unique lens of a therapist. Listeners are invited to "shed their old beliefs about race and make room for a new understanding of it's impact and implications."