00:00Hi everybody, I'm Victoria Uwe Morogi, the Senior Lifestyle Editor of Essence Magazine.
00:06And you're watching a very, very special episode of Essence Escapes, sponsored by Smart Water.
00:11If you can tell where I am, we're in Martha's Vineyard.
00:13This is my first time here, and I'm so excited to check out all the sights and sounds
00:17that encompass this beautiful island with so much history.
00:20I'll be sure to keep my Smart Water nearby to keep me hydrated along the way.
00:23Come along for the ride.
00:25So I'm here at Inkwell Beach.
00:31Perhaps you've seen it in some movies or in some shows.
00:33The name, well, there's different stories as to how it came to life.
00:36One is that it was a derogatory term used by white residents as a means to separate this beach
00:41from the different other beaches that had obviously mostly white residents.
00:45There's also the saying that sometimes if you went up here and you looked down
00:48and you saw all the black people in the water, everybody grouped together could look like ink.
00:52And then there's also the saying that Inkwell came from the idea of writers like Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois,
00:58and others from the Harlem Renaissance era coming down here for some clarity.
01:02And because of their writings and their work, ink, whatever the true story is, beautiful.
01:07And people say that when you see this wooden lifeguard station, you know you are at Inkwell Beach.
01:13A bicycle is a mode of transportation most commonly used by a lot of folks here in Martha's Vineyard,
01:20so it's only right that I get one and check it out myself.
01:26So we're here at Jaws Bridge, which is kind of a rite of passage for visitors to come and jump into this water.
01:32I prefer to cleanse my thirst with smart water, but if you're interested in trying this out, do this yourself.
01:37Hello there. Hey, how are you there?
01:45I bike all the way here to meet Miss Julie Vander Hoop.
01:48She is a resident expert on Martha's Vineyard.
01:51Today I thought we'd take a walk up into this little neighborhood,
01:55first settled by some really special people.
01:58So this is the Powell House, also known as the Bunny Cottage.
02:07This was owned by Adam Clayton Powell and a woman who worked at the Cotton Club.
02:15This is the home of the late Dorothy West.
02:18She was a writer coming here to find a peace and solace that gave her the time to write many books.
02:25She was walking around on this property. That's amazing.
02:29They have a nickname for this house. It's called the Summer White House.
02:33People like Martin Luther King started his I Have a Dream speech here.
02:38Also, they were the holders of the Green Book.
02:42This is Shearer Cottage.
02:43When people came and they didn't have enough, they'd never turn anybody away.
02:48They would actually give them a list of places that needed help for a job.
02:53This is Coleman Corder's. This is the home of Ralph Coleman.
02:57He was the owner of the Black Deer in Boston.
03:01It's just such an area that people came to commune as professionals and become creative.
03:07But this is where they realized.
03:09It's the best place.
03:10Listen, the ultimate travel hack is to get somebody so knowledgeable like Miss Julie who can show you all the hot spots.
03:20There's so many more things for me to see and I'm just grateful for your time.
03:23Thank you so much.
03:24So, I worked up quite the point on the bike so I had to change my clothes into something a little more fancy and get something to eat.
03:36I'm here at Nancy's which is known for a lobster roll.
03:39And you can't come to Martha's Vineyard and not get a lobster roll.
03:42I've got my lobster roll.
03:43I've got some slaw.
03:44And I've got some butter to put on it.
03:46Which of course I did.
03:47And of course, I have my smart water ready to go.
03:50You know when black folks nod, it's good.
03:54It's good.
03:55That's a winner.
03:56Love it.
03:57For the video vacations, you can go at whatever pace you want.
04:02And I'm going at my own very slow flow.
04:05I did bike riding.
04:06I've had a delicious lobster roll.
04:08And these boats out here are talking to me.
04:10So, I think I'm going to book a ride.
04:14Man, my experience on the island over these last two days has been just fantastic.
04:19I've learned so much about the history on this island.
04:22I've loved the opportunity also as someone who lives in the big city to be able to go to the island.
04:26To be able to just come out here and just rest and find clarity about life.
04:31I definitely see myself coming back.
04:32This has been an amazing experience.
04:36We just left No Man's, which is an absolutely great spot to go and hear some music.
04:40To eat.
04:41To meet people.
04:42And have a vibe.
04:43And now we're at the after set that they call Back Door Donut.
04:48People come here after hanging out, doing all the fun things that you can do here in Mathras Vineyard.
04:53And they come and get a donut.
04:56The esteemed apple fritter.
04:58It's fire.
04:59Very good.
05:00Well, thank you for watching this fabulous special episode of Essence Escape.
05:04Launched by Smart Water here in Mathras Vineyard.
05:06It's been beautiful to see all the sights and sounds.
05:08Make sure you book your own trip to Mathras Vineyard very soon.
05:11Making a date.
05:12By the way, the easiest thing is to do.
05:13We'll be back.
05:14We'll be back very soon.
05:15Make it a date.
05:16So I'm going to see you again.
05:17See you soon.
05:18In the next video.
05:19You guys are going to see me.
05:20Take out the video.
05:21And thank you very soon.
05:22Thank you very soon.
05:23Make it a date!
05:24You are going to see me.
05:25Very soon I'm making a date.
05:26You are going to see you again!
05:27We're going to see you soon.
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