Ralph Lauren pays homage to generations of Black Martha’s Vineyard visitors in a new collection
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After emancipation, newly freed Black people fled north, with some finding agricultural work on Martha’s Vineyard and building homes in Oak Bluffs. During the early 20th century, the neighborhood became a haven for middle-class Black travelers seeking refuge from racial segregation, eventually attracting celebrities like singer Lena Horne, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Adam Clayton Powell, and upwardly mobile Black American families.
Locations like Inkwell Beach and the Shearer Cottage, though created out of the forces of racism, have become sites steeped in history. The Ralph Lauren campaign launches as “Black August” approaches, with events like HBCU Legacy Week and the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.
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