Three weeks after the confederate surrender more than 1,000 recently freed slaves, several white Charlestonians and members of the Massachusetts 54th Infantry gathered to consecrate a proper burial by singing songs, distributing flowers and giving readings.

The Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of Association for the Study of African American History (ASALH) is one of many across the country that are celebrating the 2019 theme of Black Migration and recognizing the 400th anniversary of the 1619 arrival of the first slave ships to America that moored in Jamestown, Va.

The federal shut down in Washington, DC has closed the Smithsonian Museums, the very popular Monuments and National Parks and left hundreds of thousands of government workers facing locked doors while trying to come to work.

I recall a group of black Republicans from Massachusetts who were strong supporters of Bush 41, and had longstanding ties to the Vineyard.