The hustle and bustle of shoppers at the blue and pink property at the corner of Narragansett and Circuit avenue housing Vineyard Vines were probably oblivious to the history of the business this July. But Phil and Tanya Hart – longtime neighbors to Stan and Nancy Murray on the Vineyard long before their sons Shep and Ian founded Vineyard Vines on July 4, 1998 – have all the details.

This past week they joined the Murray family on their VV 42-foot sailboat on a celebratory spin around the Island saluting the 20th anniversary of the enterprise. The brothers, tired of their jobs on Wall street, used their credit cards to purchase silk, make ties and sell them out of their trunk on the Vineyard. After selling 800 ties one weekend the business was born. The rest, as they say, is history.

Vineyard favorite son, President Barack Obama was the keynote speaker in Johannesburg, South Africa marking the centennial of the birth of Nelson Mandela. Locally our own, Charlayne Hunter Gault, formerly chief correspondent for PBS in Africa, was interviewed by Jeffrey Brown on the contents of a book published in connection with this celebration.

The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela compiled by Sahm Venter, a senior writer at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, covers a wide range of topics while he was in prison from 1962-1990. Gault noted that these 255 letters demonstrated his enduring love for his wife Winnie, his deep affection and longing for his children and much pain over the years. He lost his son and his mother while in prison and was denied permission to attend their funerals. Charlayne underscored that despite it all he held true to his belief in the dignity of all humanity and his faith that someday the “arch of the moral universe would bend toward justice.”

A plaque was recently placed outside of the Edgartown Court House recognizing the judicial prowess of the Hon. Herbert E. Tucker, Jr. As we spend the summer months watching the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees battle it our for first place, I am reminded of his critical role in integrating the Red Sox clubhouse. Tucker was president of the Boston branch of the NAACP from 1956-1960 and he was especially troubled that, after a decade of Jackie Robinson in the big leagues, the Sox remained segregated.

After Pumpsie Green was denied a place on the Sox roster, Tucker and the branch demanded that the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination investigate the team. The hearings allowed him to lay out the fact that the team passed on future super stars Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. The 1959 season was not going well as the team had mounting losses. This fact opened the door for Tucker and a coalition of civic and political groups to keep up the pressure on the team. On July 21, 1959 Pumpsie Green was put in the game, finally integrating the team. Today’s star players, like Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley, Jr., can tip their caps to Herbie Tucker, Jr. as they take to the field in Fenway Park.

The Union Chapel Forum Series will feature a stellar panel of women academic, policy and business leaders who will tackle The Role of Female Voices in the 21st Century American Democracy. The panelists will feature Drs. Nicole Hemmer, Imani Perry, Priscilla Douglas and Leah Wright Rigueur. The program will be led by Prof. Saida Grundy of Boston University and the mistress of ceremonies will be Karen Holmes Ward. The event will take place on August 2 at 4 p.m. at the chapel.

East Chop resident Dawn Davis has had an amazing career as a publisher and in 2015 founded Simon & Schuster’s imprint 37 INK. On July 29 at 7 p.m. she will be interviewing author Nafissa Thompson-Spires at the Chilmark Community Center about her book, Heads of the Colored People.

The Federated Church in Edgartown is inviting all to join them at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 7 for their 11th annual House Tour and Tea. Proceeds will benefit the preservation of their church building.

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

Oak Bluffs news can be sent to rtaylor@mvgazette.com.