The beach, sunshine, family gatherings and the ability to enjoy something like anonymity — these are among the things that draw a variety of high-profile seasonal residents to the Vineyard year after year.

For many prominent African Americans, it is all that and something more: a chance to be part of a close-knit geographical community that has become less common in an increasingly integrated world.

The profile of black Vineyarders is not that different than most other ethnic groups here. Clustered in Oak Bluffs, the population in the peak summer months boasts an impressive roster of political leaders, business executives, artists, judges, writers and academics. Year-round residents face the same challenges as others, of high housing costs and scarcity of full-time employment.

Being black at the top of any field, however, remains a lonely place. In interviews with a sampling of African Americans on the Vineyard, the Gazette heard repeatedly that one of the enduring attractions of the Island is the chance to lay back and spend quality time with each other.

That isn’t to say that the black community keeps itself apart. From the annual Hutchins Forum put on by the W.E.B. Dubois Institute to the Cottagers, a philanthropic group founded by African Americans, to the Cousen Rose Art Gallery, African Americans have actively contributed to the social, cultural and intellectual life of the entire Island for many decades.

Though it is still a tiny minority, census figures show the black population on the Vineyard is stable and even expanding in small but important ways beyond Oak Bluffs. Better still, a growing number of young African Americans and retirees, like their white counterparts, are finding the Vineyard an attractive place to live year-round.

It’s not paradise, as one African American interviewed was quick to note, but a snapshot of the black experience on the Island in 2012 suggests the Vineyard way — a shared respect and even affection for diversity — is still alive and well.

That’s something we should celebrate, separately and together.