On the masthead of the Vineyard Gazette, typically on page six, to the right of the logo of a plump bunch of grapes is this: Established in 1846 A Journal of Island Life. My name is listed as only the fifth publisher of the Gazette since 1920. That says a lot about the commitment, endurance and longevity of the publishers who have come before me.
When my husband, Adam, and I were weighing a move to Martha’s Vineyard, we took a quiet trip over on a bleak day in December. The warmth and beauty of the Island were hiding behind a bitter wind. I was in the middle of the interview process but the visit was of our own initiative.
We had been living in Brookline for the past 20 years, raising our two children. I worked in local media with WBUR and education technology starting my own company, Listenwise, and my husband worked in biotech.
We loved our neighborhood, anchored by the public school and the park across the street. Across from our house we watched our children run around the playground, shoot hoops on the basketball court and graduate from middle school and then high school on nearby fields. Now they have moved on to college and career and Adam and I thought maybe it was time for us to move on as well.
I was seeking a job in journalism with meaning and purpose, in a community that is engaged and welcoming. I have found all that and more on this small Island.
Back to that December day. We wandered up and down Main street in Vineyard Haven. Many shops were closed but Bobby B’s was open for business and we were hungry for lunch. When contemplating the menu I heard the familiar lyrical sound of Brazilian Portuguese coming from behind the counter and the kitchen. And I noticed they had a Brazilian snack called salgadinhos on the menu. These Brazilian croquettes are stuffed chicken and cheese, fried or baked, and are the go-to lunch at any Brazilian lunch counter. In the beverage case, I spied Guarana, a popular Brazilian soda that is hard to find in Boston.
I felt like I was in Rio de Janeiro, transported back to the 1990s when I was a reporter living in the Copacabana neighborhood. Or in the city of Florianopolis, in southern Brazil, where I now like to visit the beaches with my family. The sounds of Brazilian Portuguese are a port of call to me. I spoke to the counter staff at Bobby B’s workers in Portuguese, sending a shock of recognition from the counter help to the cook. You speak Portuguese fluently?
I know the Brazilian community is vibrant around Massachusetts, especially in Allston, Framingham and Hyannis. But this was the moment I learned how the Vineyard has become home to one of the most concentrated Brazilian populations in Massachusetts. Later, I read a Gazette story about how one of the first Brazilians, Lyndon Johnson Pereira, made the Island his home in 1985. I’m sure today Mr. Pereira would be shocked to see how large the community has grown. By some estimates, Brazilians make up more than 30 per cent of the year-round population.
On the ferry back to the mainland, my husband and I talked about what our lives might be like on the Island and we agreed, we could see our future here. As a publisher, I can bring my skills from journalism and business together. My husband can make the career change he’s dreamed of and focus on remodeling homes.
It’s been a smooth transition. We’ve received many warm hellos, dinner invitations and tips for where to “fill-in-the-blank.” We are getting to know our neighbors. Behind us is a Brazilian family with two kids. The husband owns a landscaping business and has lived here for more than 20 years. To say hello I made them a traditional Brazilian dessert of passion fruit mousse. They brought me a Brazilian chocolate cake.
My other neighbors are a recently retired minister and his wife. I baked them pumpkin bread and they brought me a homemade wooden votive candle holder in the shape of Martha’s Vineyard. Now we trade sweets and bran muffins regularly.
As I think back to that cold December day, I am now basking in the warmth of the spring sun and the warmth of our new friends and neighbors who have made us feel we are welcome here.
This weekend marks the unofficial start to another summer season, which will be my first on the Vineyard. I am looking forward to being a part of this unfolding story, along with the Island’s myriad communities, and helping to tell these stories each week in the Vineyard Gazette
