Georgia on My Mind was made famous by the great Ray Charles on his 1960 album, The Color of Genius. Charles, a native of Albany, Georgia, would surely be very proud of several events this weekend: the first two celebrate Morehouse College past and present, and the third supports a new initiative by Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate for Georgia.

Charles’s Foundation was very generous to Morehouse after his passing, so he would be in the audience as The House on the Vineyard celebrates their third year. They start with a Clambake on August 9 and follow that with the August 10 Legacy of Lights Awards at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort, recognizing Dr. Monte Oyd Harris, Dr. Ernest Page and Dr. Charlie Rouse. Additional information can be provided by Boston Chapter President Wilton DeVonn Baker at president@gbmcaa.org.

Morehouse alum Rev. Otis Moss 3rd will take to the Union Chapel pulpit this Sunday, August 11 at 10 a.m. He will be joined by Prof. Henry Louis Gates from Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. After the service, Otis his wife Monica and family will be heading to Atlanta to drop off their son Elijah at Morehouse, where he will enroll as a freshman. Elijah becomes the third generation of Moss’s matriculating at The House.

Stacey Abrams has not let her narrow loss for the governor’s office in 2018 chill her desire to serve the people of Georgia. She delivered a powerful and dynamic Democratic response to President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address. Facing voter suppression in her own election, she has established a political action committee called Fair Fight Action and immediately filed a law suit against the state of Georgia state election officials alleging mismanagement of the 2018 elections. She will be in Oak Bluffs on August 10; contact Jane Edmonds or Jackie Jenkins Scott for more details.

Speaking of candidates, an overflow crowd jammed the porch of Val Moseley’s Villa Rose last Friday to salute Steve Pemberton in his run for the U.S. Senate here in Massachusetts. This Saturday and Sunday the Cottagers will be hosting their first Historic Doll Show from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Cottagers Corner. The brain child of entrepreneur Richard Henry Boyd in 1911, who, frustrated that he could not find any dolls that properly represented black youth, established the National Negro Doll Company and made them himself.

On August 12, Sharon Lopez and Sabrina Lamb will be conducting their first Youth Business Pitch Competition at Union Chapel, with a $2,000 first prize kick-start business grant. The competition starts at 2 p.m.

Valerie Jarrett’s books have been delivered to Union Chapel for her August 14 book signing and reading at 5 p.m. Berkshire Bank’s Closing the Wealth Gap Program is sponsoring this and all public forums at the chapel this summer.

The Boston Chapter of Girl Friends will be hosting 130 from across the country at their fun-filled annual luncheon. This year it will be held on August 12 at The Oyster Bar 02557, with special guest national president Margaret Clark.

Paradise on earth is living the Vineyard experience. Enjoy it, as life is fleeting!

Send Oak Bluffs news to rtaylor@mvgazette.com.