Walking the Cape Cod Camino
Walking the Cape Cod Camino
An exercise in reflecting on systemic racism in a privileged community
WELLFLEET — In the middle of the current racism pandemic, many of us who are not black or brown — who do not worry that our sons will be murdered while jogging — are wondering what we can do.
One white woman from Brewster, Peggy Jablonski, spent eight Wednesdays this summer walking all 15 towns of the Cape on a personal journey to reflect on racial injustice. Beginning at the Canal on July 8 and concluding in Provincetown on Aug. 26, she welcomed others to join her on the “Cape Cod Camino,” fashioned on the Camino de Santiago, the “way of St. James” pilgrimage in Spain.
I joined the Wellfleet portion in week seven, walking five miles from the bike path parking lot in South Wellfleet to Ocean View Drive, then along Cahoon Hollow Road, across Route 6, and up Main Street, ending at Preservation Hall. Though I was drawn to the idea of the walk, an opportunity to spend time with like-minded others and an exercise challenge, I worried that a stroll along beautiful Cape Cod byways smacked of white privilege. Black men were being shot, Covid deaths in communities of color continued to soar, and we were going for a walk?
But the intentions of the walkers moved me. We were to think about the places where we walked, to reflect on the systemic racism built into our communities of privilege, to educate ourselves, and to commit to change.
Each week had a different theme; week seven’s focus was black, indigenous, and people of color in the arts. We learned about Robin Joyce Miller’s fabric art and Pamela Chaterton-Purdy’s mixed-media icons of the civil rights movement, on display at the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. We heard poetry by Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the U.S. We were introduced to visual artists Shirin Neshat of Iran, and Aaqil Ka of Brooklyn, when our youngest walker displayed their work via her phone. We acknowledged the Wampanoag land over which we were passing.
We were also asked to pay attention to our bodies. Before LeCount Hollow Road turned left to become Ocean View Drive, my breathing became labored when I talked and walked at the speed of the others. The oldest in the group, I was humbled to realize I was the slowest.
When the walk ended, we were encouraged to participate in follow-up reflections on the pilgrimage. To my surprise, this was where the work deepened.
I grew up in the South with racism I couldn’t accept but which I certainly understood. What surprised and saddened me was the racism I discovered when I moved to Cape Cod. The Mason-Dixon Line didn’t divide attitudes in the past, just as it doesn’t today. The Cape’s history, like the South’s, is America’s history, rooted in slavery.
The deeper work of the Cape Cod Camino was finding these historical truths. Provincetown benefited from the salt cod industry that fed enslaved people on plantations in the Caribbean. The mansions of ship captains, today charming bed-and-breakfast inns, were built with shipping wealth directly tied to slavery. After slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts, a strong anti-abolitionist movement took root here. During an 1848 anti-slavery convention in Harwich, 2,000 people stormed the meeting and ran the abolitionists out of town.
Times changed, and, 12 years later, the Cape Cod Anti-Slavery Convention in Harwich Exchange Hall insisted on “immediate and unconditional abolition.” Historian James Coogan has noted that the Cape’s history of slavery and its changing attitude towards abolition remains an “ambivalent legacy” whose scars are still felt in our communities today.
My husband and I have a sign in our yard, “Black Lives Matter to Cape Codders,” distributed by Indivisible. Someone tried to remove it from its wire holder, but, unable to pull it loose, simply tossed it onto another part of our lawn. Did someone want it for a souvenir? Probably not.
Our challenge remains to have conversations with our friends and neighbors, and even our families, about the need for racial justice. Maybe taking a walk is a good place to begin.
Candace Perry writes plays, short stories, and essays.
Lessons Learned from the Cape Cod Camino Way
Lessons Learned from the Cape Cod Camino Way
By KATHRYN EIDENT • SEP 3, 2020
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Peggy Jablonski in front of a Cape Cod Rail Trail sign.CAPE COD CAMINO WAY FACEBOOK PAGE
As we’ve reported, the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May spurred protests around the country, and across the Cape, the Coast and the Islands against police brutality and systemic racism.
Brewster resident Peggy Jablonski was moved to explore her home of Cape Cod, this time through the lens of racism and issues affecting people of color.
She called it the Cape Cod Camino Way, after a pilgrimage in Spain. Her weekly walks recently ended, and CAI’s Kathryn Eident talked with her to ask her how it went.
Jablonski It was an amazing, deeply touching, really profound experience to spend eight weeks walking through every town on Cape Cod, trying to be fully aware and present to, you know, whatever we were able to see, and people that we were able to talk to and listen to their stories. We learned about the economy, health care, we are housing all these issues related to Black and Indigenous people of color perspectives.
Eident And just remind us, after the death of George Floyd, amid protests both on the Cape and around the country, you were inspired to put together a series of walks and they took you throughout the region, and you invited people to join you.
Jablonski Yes. I basically started with the Cape Cod Canal and structured an experience where people could join one or more. And we walked between 10 and 15 miles on every Wednesday and shared historical facts about the area. I actually had over 40 people participate in one or more of the walks or they met us at one of the sites.
Eident I’m sure you learned so much, but is there something that really struck you that you learned while you were on these walks?
Jablonski I’d say a couple of things. One is to be a really critical consumer of history and the information that we’re being provided, whether it’s through the school system or, you know, our historical site. So, for example, in my own town of Brewster, I dug deeper into the story of the sea captains and: Were any involved in the slave trade? I found the answer was: Probably yes.
And also, that the entire economy of not just Brewster, but all of Cape Cod, had a connection to the slave trade because we help feed the slaves by sending our salt, cod and herring down to the Caribbean. That’s something I just didn’t know. So, I think it’s important that we all understand our connections to issues around Black, Indigenous and people of color, because I did have a couple of people ask me, “Why are you doing this? We don’t really have any issues on Cape Cod.” And what I realized was just by walking every week doing the research, sharing it with people that a lot of people were open to just understanding more.
Eident What was the makeup of the group? You said you had a few dozen people join, at least part, if not all of the walks that you had.
Jablonski The overwhelming majority were women in their 50s, 60s, 70s. Most of them were people who were one or two steps removed and found out about the project through a civic organization, a church, my Facebook page. At least half a dozen people went on several walks and had their own commitment build towards continuing to learn more about racism issues, about the perspectives of the Wampanoag tribe, etc.. So, I felt that being a role model just about how to be a critical consumer was really, you know, a way that I could contribute. There were a few few people of color who joined, especially the day that I walked from the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum to the Zion Heritage Museum. So that was a wonderful experience.
Eident And, now that this has concluded, what’s next? What now?
Jablonski I need to continue to explore how to take the lessons learned from the walks and share those with other groups. I’m gonna try to speak with different civic organizations, churches, etc. I want to write about the project and encourage people to take their own local area and go figure out whose story has not been told yet, or what do they need to understand to better be aware of what’s in their backyard. And then I, you know, I reaffirmed my love for Cape Cod and really a desire to make it an even better place to celebrate all of the people who live here.
Eident Thank you so much for checking in and letting us know how your series of walks went over the summer.
Jablonski Well, thank you, Kathryn, for your interest and I look forward to continuing this work.
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If you want to see videos of Jablonski’s walks you can see them here on the Cape Cod Camino Way on Facebook. You can also hear a previous conversation with Jablonski talking about her inspiration for the walk below.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 7 BLOG: Wellfleet to Truro, 12 miles (Hills!)
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 7 BLOG: Wellfleet to Truro, 12 miles (Hills!)
Cultural Influences/The Arts and BIPOC; Resources for continued learning
Week 7- only two more walks to go in the Summer of 2020. This week 9 others joined the beginning of the walk on Lecount Hollow Road in Wellfleet to the center of town via Ocean View Drive. This week we chose to focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the arts and on current issues.
We began with introductions and setting an intention for our participation in the walk. We honored the Native people and lands we would walk, being reminded that all of Cape Cod once belonged to the Wampanoag. This week Lauren was back for week 7, Kathy, Kate, Lucy and Candace joined for the first time and returners included my sister Marie, Wilderness and Saffron, and Licia. I am so blessed to have these women join in the walk and more importantly in the conversation and learning experience.
This week I prepared the container, with some research and historical information. And others contributed inspirations from writers and poets of color, visual artists and we discussed musicians of color. We first acknowledged the selection of Kamala Harris, the first Black and Indian woman to run for Vice President of the United States. We also highlighted the outstanding speech by Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention. Regardless of party, we were excited to see these women shine in our political process.
I began our experience by sharing a powerful poem by my sister-in-law’s sister, Nikkie, a Trinidadian born poet and musician.
BLACK By Nikkiesha McLeod
We’re at the same juncture where Black people are met with the same struggle, one which seems to never end. We’re still fighting for our lives to matter. We still can’t breathe as the knees of oppression bends into our necks, killing us. We’ve peacefully marched, we’ve walked with our anger boiling beneath our rich and beautiful skin, but yet this ugly history of us being beaten down, being hosed down still continues today. A reflection of us standing up against the fences, the faces of an established denial of my place in the world, where I dream as much as you do. I wish to sing my troubles. But it is the same tune. What else is there for us to say out loud, write down and shout, We shall over come… Should I tell the next generation it’s up to them now, to carry this anger, this despair, this anxiety of living outside, while I can’t even escape it myself? My life is ordinary like the songs of any bird-call voicing an incandescent sound, but because of the hatred of my existence I am martyred for my race, for my color: Black!
Black is the beauty
of the night forever and ever
Black is what brings light.
of the night forever and ever
Black is what brings light.
I noted that I returned to the Atwood Museum Exhibit (from week 5) that focused on the Wampanoag and Mayflower stories- where they connected and the impact on each other. The Atwood included a new room on WWII and I noticed a Black woman as “Rosie the Riveter”, something I had never seen before, and Sugar rationing line that included white boys, and black and white women. It is rare to see images of Black people on the walls of Cape Cod museums and I thanked the curator of the exhibit.
I mentioned to the group there is a special Wampanoag exhibit of “Before 1620 Who Was Here” at the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, Wed-Sat 1-4pm at 258 Main St. This would be an option for those leaving the walk mid-day in Wellfleet. Through numerous artifacts, the exhibit acknowledges the native presence back to 10,000 BCE and questions stereotypes, examining the past through some unusual lenses. We spoke of the Pilgrims landing in Truro at Pilgrim Spring area in search of drinking water, coming ashore at Corn Hill to steal native corn, and skirmishing with the Wampanoags at First Encounter Beach in Eastham. No, Plymouth Rock is NOT the first place the Pilgrims stepped foot in America.
At White Crest Beach on the Atlantic Shore in Wellfleet, Wilderness shared a deeply impactful poem by Lucille Clifton:
won’t you celebrate with me
won’t you celebrate with me
what Ihave shaped into
a king of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did I see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
We continued walking with a sense of heaviness about the lives lost to systemic racism, violence that continues to play out on a regular basis. Violence we all agree must stop.
At the Beachcomber, eerily quiet in the bluff down below us, hanging by a thread above the great ocean, Kate shared her brilliant voice with us with a poem from The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Joy Harjo, our poet laureate. Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
At our next stop at Great Pond, Saffron shared with us a few visual artists she has been exploring. She spoke about each artist and then shared her phone with images of their work. With a good spray of hand sanitizer, we passed the phone to each person who was drawn into the images. We spoke how art is such a powerful tool through which to learn about and connect with cultures other than our own. We have greatly enjoyed connecting with Saffron who at 14 has a depth of knowledge and understanding that touched us deeply.
Shirin Neshat is an Iranian visual artist who lives in NY city. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and the West, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity. The contrast in the Arabic words on the faces and hands of the women were striking to behold.
Aaqil Ka is based in Brooklyn NY and is inspired by nature, culture, technology, social issues. Saffron was taken by his images and enjoyed sharing them with her fellow walkers.
We continued to Wellfleet Center, crossing Route 6 at the traffic light, still a very dangerous proposition. One thing we have seen in each town along our journey is a lack of attention to safety and access via our road system. In many places, there are no sidewalks, causing us to use extreme caution in unsafe conditions. In others, the sidewalks are so overgrown and in poor condition, that walking is still treacherous. It was my observation that people drive too fast on all our roadways, and barely give way for pedestrians. I will think about my own actions as a driver a bit differently having done these walks all summer.
We rested and enjoyed a conversation at Preservation Hall garden in Wellfleet Center. As several people would be leaving the walk here, we shared something we were taking away from today’s experience:
“ I’m going to think about the ugly history referenced in the poem- what are our monuments?”
“I was aware of my privilege to walk freely, with the walk reminding me of being at Standing Rock three years ago, and returning to the Cape with more awareness that all Land in the U.S. was homeland of the Indigenous people.”
“I’m honored to be with people looking at our history, sharing stories: What does celebrating 400 mean?”
“I was so glad to see the visual arts today, remember Freda Kahlo, and acknowledge a friend I lost recently by sharing a poem on her land with everyone”.
“I was reminded about the suffrage movement, how that is tainted too with the story of whiteness. In order to celebrate the suffragettes, we have to recognize that Black women were excluded”.
“Sharing the poems today, listening to the readings and perspectives was powerful. Just walking with all of you. “
Kate then quoted Mary Oliver’s poem Heron by heart and inspired us to explore more of Oliver’s lovely poetry about nature on Cape Cod.
Preservation Hall in Wellfleet upcoming events:
Weed 8/26 at 6 Suzanne Nossel, author of Dare to Speak. CEO of PEN America, the foremost organization working to protect and advance human rights, free expression and literature.
Doc Days Film Series Jazz on a Summer’s Day, virtually as of Fri 8/14
Also locally is the Payomet Performing Arts Center, Truro. Mission: Foster education and excellence in the performing arts; Cultivate cultural and social awareness; explore issues of relevance to the communities we serve.
At a rest stop on the back road hills of Truro, I shared some local historical information with Kate and Lauren, for when we could return and do more exploration.
Wampanoag Indian Woman Memorial
HERE LIES
AN INDIAN WOMAN
A WAMPANOAG
WHOSE FAMILY AND TRIBE
GAVE OF THEMSELVES
AND THEIR LAND
THAT THIS GREAT NATION
MIGHT BE BORN AND GROW REINTERRED HERE MAY 30, 1976
WAMPANOAG TRIBAL COUNCIL
WELLFLEET HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AN INDIAN WOMAN
A WAMPANOAG
WHOSE FAMILY AND TRIBE
GAVE OF THEMSELVES
AND THEIR LAND
THAT THIS GREAT NATION
MIGHT BE BORN AND GROW REINTERRED HERE MAY 30, 1976
WAMPANOAG TRIBAL COUNCIL
WELLFLEET HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The memorial is positioned horizontal on the ground. It is adjacent to the National Seashore parking lot at the entrance to Great Island.
The left photo was taken in 2008 and the right photo in 2010. The photos were supplied by Heather Lagerstrom. Note the increase in the “gifts of respect”.
The fascinating story of Billingsgate Island (from the Wellfleet Historical Society).
“…Today, all that remains of Billingsgate Island is an occasional sandbar a few miles off Wellfleet’s Jeremy Point. But that’s not to say Cape Cod’s ‘mini Atlantis’ has disappeared from the local consciousness. In this article, we look at the history of the island and the people who lived there and examine the efforts many have made to keep Billingsgate’s memory—and legend—alive.
When the Pilgrims arrived in the region in 1620, the town of Billingsgate (which at the time included Eastham and Wellfleet—and the 60-acre island) was home to the Punonakanit people—members of the Wampanoag Federation. In Of Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower scribe William Bradford describes the island as “a tongue of land, being flat, off from the shore, with a sandy point.” According to A History Of Billingsgate by Durand Echeverria, the Native Americans and the Europeans who settled in the Billingsgate community coexisted peacefully until smallpox eventually shrunk the Billingsgate Punonakanit population to just 11 in 1694.
Originally settled by the Europeans as a fishing village, the island was most likely named after the famous Billingsgate fishing market of London. Over time, fishermen living in Wellfleet and Eastham brought their families onto the island where they would fish from early spring to the start of winter.”
Who “originally settled” the land? Who brought the smallpox that almost wiped out the native population? We need to read these historical accounts carefully
I neglected to share the current information below with the walkers, and wanted to include it for the readers of the blog to understand issues of recognition continue for the Wampanoag.
From the Barnstable Human Rights Commission website:
BARNSTABLE COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMISSION SUPPORTS THE MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE (Barnstable, MA – May 4, 2020) – The Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission (HRAC) supports Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in action against Department of Interior. The Human Rights Advisory Commission of Barnstable County, out of respect for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the long, traumatic history they endured, express our extreme displeasure with the Department of Interior’s recent decision denying the Tribe’s right to hold land in trust. At a time when we are collectively sharing significant challenges and together experiencing a period of tremendous hardship, the HRAC hopes that the Department focuses on the immense value of the Tribe and work to ensure a path of cooperation and respect. 2020 is the year that we commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony. This history cannot be told without honoring the immense contribution of the Wampanoag people that are still among us. Thus, we urge the Department to initiate a complete review of the denial and engage in the process of reconsideration that accounts for the full history of this great Tribe. Fairness dictates no other course of action.
ABOUT THE BARNSTABLE COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMISSION: The mission of the Human Rights Advisory Commission is to promote equal opportunity for all persons of Barnstable County regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, gender, age, ancestry, sexual or affectional preference marital, family or military status, source of income, neighborhood or disability, where unlawful discrimination exists in housing, employment, education, public accommodations, town or county services, insurance, banking, credit and health care.
At the end of our hike at the Pamet River Park in Truro, Kate shared one last poem from Joy Harjo that provided the “dessert” for our long day of walking.
Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo
The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.
At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.
Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.
This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.
Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.
We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.
At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.
Postscript: I wanted to note that many of our local nonprofits have been issuing statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Here are a few related to places on our walk today:
The Truro Historical Society (THS) supports the peaceful Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice that is taking place in the United States and around the world. “Liberty and justice for all” means justice for Black and Indigenous populations, and for all people of color.
Museums and archives are not neutral spaces. Because we interpret history, we have the responsibility of presenting the past as fully and accurately as possible, including painful and uncomfortable aspects. The past feeds into the present, and when a community actively engages with its past, it can use its understanding to make a better society.
Truro was founded on land that had been inhabited by Native People for thousands of years, but these people were displaced by English settlers. There were enslaved people and indentured laborers enduring near-slavery conditions in Truro. In 1754, the town’s first minister, Reverend John Avery, bequeathed to his children three African-American enslaved men and “my Indian Girl Sarah.”
After reflecting on the “settler privilege” that most of us enjoy, the THS decided in late 2019 to mark the 400thanniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival with a decolonial exhibition celebrating Truro’s first inhabitants, the Wampanoag Nation, from its origins to today. During the postponement caused by the coronavirus, the THS will continue to consult with Indigenous scholars and community members. We will increase our commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a token of our commitment, the THS wishes to share the Land Acknowledgment we have prepared in consultation with members of the Wampanoag Nation. This statement will stand at the entrance to the Highland House Museum’s permanent exhibition about the Paomet and the Wampanoag peoples.
Land Acknowledgment
The Highland House Museum stands on the traditional homeland of the Paomet Tribe, members of the Wampanoag Nation, who have inhabited Cape Cod for more than 12,000 years and who knew this part of Truro as Tashmuit. The Truro Historical Society acknowledges the displacement, suffering, and forced assimilation of the Wampanoag and other Native Peoples caused by European contact and colonization. We honor the struggles of the Wampanoag, People of the First Light, and support their resilience, and we ask museum visitors to reflect on our shared responsibility to maintain social justice.
From The Board and Staff of the Truro Center for the Arts
To Our Valued Community:
George Floyd was murdered more than a month ago and it feels like the world has shifted seismically since then, finally acknowledging the persistence of the cruel racial and economic disparities that blight our country. The Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill counts inclusivity as a core value but we have not achieved the diversity to which we aspire. Our Board and Staff welcome this moment of historical change and the opportunity it presents to examine ourselves and make the changes necessary to create an arts community that welcomes, serves and nurtures Black, Asian, LatinX and all Indigenous artists.
We strive to create an environment that encourages artists of all types and experiences, but we clearly still have far to go. We will begin by immediately establishing a committee of board members, staff and faculty and giving them a charge to examine our practices to identify instances of implicit bias and ways in which we operate that may discourage broader participation. They will recommend changes needed to remove obstacles and things we must do proactively to extend our hand to engage actively with under-represented communities. We will examine our leadership, our partnerships and our programs to find ways to do better. We aim to do this as soon as we possibly can.
We stand in support of those who have dedicated themselves to the struggle for racial and economic justice. We commit to doing our part.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 6 BLOG: Exploring our History and Environmental Issues
Brewster-Orleans- Eastham, 11 miles
We began the day at the Snowy Owl Coffee shop on 6A in Brewster. Thank you to Lauren for joining Walk #6, Licia and Ailene for walking, Wilderness and her granddaughter Saphron for returning again, and Mary Ellen and Jennie for listening to the talk on Brewster. Thanks Chris for the ride and support.
We started our day with setting an intention for why we were walking, and to offer acknowledgement to the indigenous peoples whose land we would be walking on and through, from Brewster to Orleans and Eastham. Eight of us gathered to hea
r about the history of the Cape economy, and Brewster in particular with the number of Sea Captains here in the late 1700s and 1800s, the connections to the slave trade/Triangle trade. We also focused on environmental justice from the establishment of the National Seashore to climate change, algae blooms in our ponds, and sustainable practices for healthy living here on Cape Cod.
r about the history of the Cape economy, and Brewster in particular with the number of Sea Captains here in the late 1700s and 1800s, the connections to the slave trade/Triangle trade. We also focused on environmental justice from the establishment of the National Seashore to climate change, algae blooms in our ponds, and sustainable practices for healthy living here on Cape Cod.The possible connections to slavery reveals a complex story, one that is difficult for progressive whites in particular to acknowledge and explore. Our work on this walk, as well as moving forward, is to be open to hearing about the towns we love entwined with the institution of slavery and how they benefited over time. Even if our ancestors came here well after slavery ended (as mine did from Ireland and Poland in the early 1900s), we share a legacy of benefiting from the economic gains made by those who profited from the Triangle Trade in the 1800s.
For me personally, this was the hardest Camino week thus far. I have owned a home in Brewster for twenty years, living here full time the past 7 years. Through the Camino Way process this summer, I now understand in a deeper way the complicity of my community and our former leaders (political, religious, community) in benefiting from trading with the Caribbean to support the institution of slavery. I understand more about my own complicity.
To prepare for this walk, I visited two of Brewster’s historical cemeteries, behind the Unitarian Church and on Lower Road to explore their hidden in plain view stories:
I saw that Sea Captains died and were buried in Africa, Havana Cuba, Port of Prince Haiti. I remember walking these cemeteries several times in the past two decades without carefully reading the headstones and thinking about the stories behind them. I noted how many of the families inter-married and created a strong connection for economic, political, and religious continuity in the town. I then drove up Rt 6A to take photos of the numerous sea captain homes, many of them historic Inns and taverns and thought about how we continue to benefit from the beauty and charm of our historic town through tourism.
All up and down the seacoast of the northern states, merchants traded goods such as wood, textiles, and food (including on ships built on Cape Cod) with the slave owners of the West Indies in return for sugar cane, coffee and other products. The rum from that sugar cane became a mainstay drink for Cape Codders. There also is the thorny question of did any of our Sea Captains actually buy and transport slaves from Africa? In the peak year of 1850 there were 50 clipper captains living in Brewster.
Sally Gunning, the president of the Brewster Historical Society was generous to spend some time with me explaining the possible connections. Sally is an outstanding writer of historical fiction, including her latest book “Monticello” which tells the Jefferson story from the point of view of his daughter Martha and his slave Sally Hemings. Ms. Gunning explained that the Historical Society has a new exhibit to open now in Spring 2021: “Were there slaves in Brewster? Yes.” The exhibit will include documentation from wills, bills of sale, diaries, etc. and interpretation by historians. A few examples:
Brewster became its own town in 1803. Prior to that Brewster was considered part of Harwich. The slave census for Harwich in 1774 included 8 male and 6 female slaves.
- · In 1755 archives, Thomas Clark of the Brewster gristmill fame left in his will “little Negro Molly” to his wife.
- · In 1760, Benjamin Bangs noted in his diary his “Negro Oliver” was sold for 39 pounds. Bangs lived across the street from First Parish UU, and his home eventually became the parsonage. There is also a bill of sale from Bangs for Sarah for 25 pounds- included a warranty of sorts, if she had TB, the buyer could recover his money.
· By 1783 slavery is no longer legal in MA ; after 1790 no slaves are listed on the census. However many Native Americans and Blacks likely remained as indentured servants.
Although Ms. Gunning noted that there is no documented proof of any Brewster captains having direct involvement in the capture and transport of slaves, there are many questions that remain. Meadow Dibble,another local documentarian I spoke with this week, (her parents owned the Brewster General Store) years ago noticed on a grave in the UU cemetery that Benjamin Crosby “ died in Africa 1795”. That raised a major question for her: What was he doing there?
Meadow took on excavating the story of Elijah Cobb, who built the home on Lower Road where the Historical Society is now located, and the ship the Ten Brothers. The captain and crew of Ten Brothers spent months on the west coast of Africa in the fall of 1818, in the gulf of Guinea. In the harbor of Principe many contracted yellow fever and died, including Captain Joseph Mayo. Elijah Cobb, senior member of the crew, sailed the ship back to Boston, stopping at Martinique to unload an unspecified cargo. When they arrived in Boston in July 1819, they brought yellow fever with them, causing an epidemic. He was charged with a public health threat and slave trading. He was cleared of both charges. It is notable that 12 years of Cobbs’ diaries are missing, including many years when he was at sea. Dibble believes his story is a “don’t ask, don’t tell” story of the time. Meadow’s research can be found at: Capecodblackbox.com
How did the town of Brewster, and Cape Cod, benefit from the institution of slavery? Both Sally and Meadow agreed that the entire economy benefited. For example, the salt codfish that were dried all along the coast was shipped to the West Indies to feed the slaves. In historytoday.com :
“But it was sugar which transformed salt cod from a valuable commodity into an economic sensation. By the late 17th century, much of the Caribbean had been given over to sugar production. The cane was grown on large plantations…slaves brought over from West Africa…plantation owners would have to devote great swathes of their land to crops or animals which they were unwilling to do. Their solution was to give the slaves salt cod instead.” New England fishermen turned away from European markets to make a low-grade salt cod for the Caribbean.
“By the 1640s captains were coming back with holds full of salt, sugar, indigo, cotton, tobacco. But the real money was in slaves. New England ships would cross the Atlantic, buy slaves in the Cape Verde islands or West Africa, sell them in the Caribbean, then take cargo-loads of spices and fibres back to New England. They would then return with the salt cod needed to feed the slaves they had sold earlier and the whole process would begin again…it delivered huge profits, especially after 1713 when the development of the schooner, a faster, sleeker ship cut travel times dramatically. “
So the question needs to be asked, if this was happening out of Bristol RI, New Bedford, New York, etc. was this happening here on Cape Cod, and in Brewster? And it was not just cod, but our beloved herring. Herring was cheap and transported well. Who caught the fish? Built the barrels to store the fish? Made the ships? Worked on the ships? Captained the ships? A few more clues:
Captain Winslow Knowles noted in his log: ‘The passengers have been a great annoyance”. In other logs there are notes on palm oil, gold dust, ivory, coffee coming from Africa. What about people?
Cyrus Augustus Bradley, who was the First Parish minister from 1851-1857 wrote: “When I came here the people were extremely sensitive on certain political questions. We were all slaves to slavery…about 50 active ship masters lived in own then, and every one of them sided with the slave interests.”
It seems to me that many members of the town were aware of, directly benefited from, and participated in the Triangle slave trade.
Ironically, some of these same men, and their descendants, active in the Unitarian Universalist and other churches, became abolitionists. There is some indication of several stops on the Underground Railroad on Cape Cod including the Little Inn on Pleasant Bay, Old Yarmouth Inn, and Tern Inn and Cottages in West Harwich.
After this sobering start to our walk we moved onto the Cape Cod Rail Trail to walk through many conservation areas and Nickerson State Forest. We noted how conservation plays a role at the local, state and federal level and that our federal government is currently abdicating its role as protector of the environment and causing real damage through policies, neglect, and inept management.
At the overlook into Skaket marsh we had a conversation about the environment and I shared information from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the leading environmental group on the Cape. Their website if chock full of resources including Tips for an Eco-Friendly sustainable landscape. We talked about the rise in harmful blooms of cyanobacteria in our ponds from excessive fertilizers, human and pet waste and runoff from roadways. I shared information from APCC regarding climate change, support for wind energy, sustainability and water protection. I encourage you to check out apcc.org.
We continued our walk into Orleans Center with a stop at the Chocolate Sparrow for much needed ice coffee. At the picnic tables outside we spoke of what we had learned thus far, expressing a commitment to explore these historical stories further and think about how they impact us today. All the walkers except Lauren and me took leave in Orleans. As we continued on to Eastham, we talked about our friends the Pilgrims again, as the Mayflower replica had just passed through the Cape Cod Canal on its return to Plymouth after a three year restoration. I must admit I had conflicting emotions watching the grandeur of the tall ship passing through the canal escorted by dozens of smaller vessels. The Pilgrims were a persecuted group who left England in search of a better life. Reconciling that fact with how they treated the Indigenous peoples once here remains a difficult question.
From the Eastham Historical Society website, located on Route 6 (which I have passed hundreds of times and didn’t know was there):
An exhibition has been organized to honor the Native Americans, the first European settlers, the founding families and the early settlements of the Outer Cape in the 1600s. It continues the Pilgrim story of migration from Plymouth to Outer Cape Cod, then called “Nawsett” (today’s Nauset), and describes the lives of the first generations of families that settled here.
Our presentation begins with the region’s Native American tribes and their initial encounters–peaceful and not–with early European explorers and then the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Next we recount the expeditions launched from Plymouth to Nauset to find more fertile land to expand and sustain the colony.
Finding that the Outer Cape offered better prospects, at least for some, the Plymouth Colony Court in 1644 gave land grants to each of seven families to settle the area that today includes parts of Orleans and Wellfleet, and all of Eastham. We explore the backgrounds of these founding families, and the imprint their first and second generations left on our history.
I was astounded to read that 7 families received all the land in Eastham, part of Orleans and Wellfleet that was populated already by the native peoples! What did this mean for the Native peoples living here? Hundreds of families now call this area home. Some current statistics on the population given Nauset High School statistics: 85% White, 5 % Black, 4 % Hispanic, < 1 % Native; 3% one or more races; 23% Low income
We made our way to the new crossing that stops the traffic on Rt 6, otherwise referred to as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. I never knew what that meant. The road was named for the veterans of the Union army, navy and marines who fought in the Civil War. Thank you to the MA state highway system for a pedestrian crossing on a dangerous road. We continued to note the lack of sidewalks on our walks, and even when one was present, it was not well cared for.
At Fort Hill we took in the breathtaking scenery of the Cape Cod National Seashore: 68 square miles Created in 1961 by President Kennedy, including ponds, woods and 40 miles of seashore. This forward-looking environmental policy has provided generations with access to a national park- our beloved seashore. We made our way to the Skiff Hill overlook. The story boards tell of the Native Americans who settled there, the European explorers including Champlain, and the ecological story of the marsh. A large boulder used as a sharpening rock by Native Americans provides a welcome rest stop for viewing and sitting (a family of four sat on it while we were there- I felt uncomfortable and wanted to ask them to move, but didn’t want to bother a mother and her three small children).
After leaving Fort Hill, we had a decision to make- it was already noon and almost 90 degrees with high humidity. Both of us were spent and although I wanted to make it to First Encounter Beach where the Pilgrims stole the Natives corn and disrupted graves, we both had been to the site several times before. Instead we continued to the Windmill on Rt 6 and crossed over to Salt Pond Visitor Center for the end of our day. We sat overlooking the pond (which I later dove into to revive myself) and recounted the day and our past six weeks of walks across Cape Cod. Two more to go! Next week we walk Wellfleet into Truro focusing on people of color in the arts, current issues and we will take in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay.
Thank you for reading along and please feel free to comment or be in touch to walk next week.
Peggy
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 6 : Health Care: physical, psychological and spiritual health
Towns: Dennis, Harwich, Chatham 14.5 miles
We began at 7:30 a.m. at the start of the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Dennis. Lauren was reliably present again, and Rita, a nurse in the Providence public schools, left RI very early to join us. We started with setting our intentions for the day: to focus on all aspects of health and the disparate impacts of racism on the health care model in this country. We honored the lands that belong to the people who came before us, the Wampanoag and other tribes, who kept sacred the earth and nature which supported the health of all peoples. We touched on the disparities in access to health care related to race and income and acknowledged our own privilege in the system as we walked from Dennis, through Harwich to Chatham.
We shared books and documentaries we have become aware of in the past several months to support our learning about racism. I spoke about a film I watched at the Woods Hole Film Festival last weekend as an excellent example 
of what one family can do to bridge the divide across the political differences in this country. REUNITED STATES of America documentary followed a conservative, white couple and their three children as they travelled across the US to have conversations with people holding different perspectives than they did. Their eyes opened to systemic racism in health care, the economy, housing, education and other areas. Through the personal connection with people and their stories, their hearts and minds were changed. They now think of people who hold different opinions as potential “allies” with every person having a role to play in reuniting this country. Their project was similar to my Cape Cod Camino Way project this summer- build awareness, seek out information, listen to others, be open to change, change!
of what one family can do to bridge the divide across the political differences in this country. REUNITED STATES of America documentary followed a conservative, white couple and their three children as they travelled across the US to have conversations with people holding different perspectives than they did. Their eyes opened to systemic racism in health care, the economy, housing, education and other areas. Through the personal connection with people and their stories, their hearts and minds were changed. They now think of people who hold different opinions as potential “allies” with every person having a role to play in reuniting this country. Their project was similar to my Cape Cod Camino Way project this summer- build awareness, seek out information, listen to others, be open to change, change!I had two responses to this film- the first was to ask the question: When were we ever “united”? When were people of color, indigenous peoples ever provided the same opportunities as whites? As we explored in the first walk, the establishment of our democracy included the institution of slavery. We have never been “united”. The second response was one of hope- that by seeking out information, listening to the stories, and being open to change we can bridge our divides. The film ends with two resources to check out: LISTEN FIRST and Bridge ALLIANCE. I will check them out.
After the first four miles in the rising humidity, we stopped near historic Harwich Center and heard information on health disparities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. I shared that I was fortunate to have a conversation last Saturday with Dr. Kumara Sidhartha from Cape Cod Health Care. “Dr Sid” as he is known supports a plant-based approach with food, helping patients understand that food is medicine and eating healthy supports all aspects of health. Dr. Sid spoke about the social determinants of health such as housing, employment, health insurance, language barriers, and cultural factors as impacting health for BIPOC. He described the double burden of malnutrition, where individuals living a poor community have higher rates of obesity. This stems from the poor nutrients and excess calories in the types of food available and the socialization to choose high calorie/low quality food. Also at play is the role of sugar as an addiction in our diets and the negative impacts of sugar on all aspects of health.
The information in the chart below provided by Dr. Sidhartha is important- COVID disproportionately impacts all People of Color:
In a short period of time, I found numerous articles and resources that supported Dr. Sid’s perspective on the factors impacting health. From the CDC website:
“Multiple factors contribute to racial/ethnic health disparities, including socioeconomic factors (education, employment, income) lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, alcohol consumption) and access to preventative heal-care services (cancer-screening, vaccination). Recent immigrants also can be at risk for chronic disease and injury, particularly those who lack fluency in English and familiarity with the US health care system….” I immediately thought of the meat packing industry in this country and the disproportionate number of people of color and recent immigrants who work on the line in the chicken and meat processing plants. They are considered “essential “ personnel. If our diets reflected a plant based approach to food we change the “food industrial complex” and the resulting negative impacts on People of Color.
One final initiative Dr. Sidhartha shared with me was the “Navigators” who function in the Cape Cod Health Care model. These staff work with patients to provide information and direct service on everything from temporary housing to food insecurity issues and health insurance information. They connect a patient with all forms of support needed to navigate the bureaucracy around access to resources to support all aspects of health. The Navigators seem to be a critical part of an effective health system.
The American College of Physicians offer much information online about the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. From their position paper in 2010:
“Social determinants of health are a significant source of health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. Inequities in education, housing, job security and environmental health must be erased if health disparities are to be effectively addressed.” “The health care delivery system must be reformed to ensure that patient-centered medical care is easily accessible to racial and ethnic minorities and physicians are enabled with the resources to deliver quality care. “
Statistics from “Racism, Inequality, and Health Care for African Americans by Jamila Taylor (2019)
More than 20 million people gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act. 2.8 million of them are African- Americans. However, the uninsured rate among African Americans remains at almost 10%
The average cost for health care premiums is 20% higher for African Americans when their average household income is less than whites.
African American women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women.
African Americans are more likely to die from cancer and heart disease than whites, and are at greater risk for the onset of diabetes.
African American children are ten times more likely to die by gun violence than white children.
After walking a few more miles we crossed Depot Road and came across several cranberry bogs, a horse farm, and the rural nature of Harwich. As we noted on earlier walks, the Cape Verdean presence on Cape Cod and with the cranberry industry was large in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cape Verdeans migrated here until the anti-immigration laws stemmed the flow in the 1920s, settling into East and North Harwich and the Pleasant Lake community. They fled drought and starvation at home and came to Harwich via the packet boats, known locally as the “Brava fleet” after the Island of Brava. Here in the U.S. they felt the racist and anti-immigrate attitudes but were less targeted because of their lighter skin, strong work ethic and a tendency to form tight communities apart from the white population. Eventually the number of descendants of Cape Verdean immigrants was 10 times the population of the islands themselves. Today there is a thriving connection between Cape Verde and Bridgewater State University where I work part time. The Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies has sponsored exchanges for students and professionals and hosted all three of the Prime Ministers of Cape Verde.
Returning to our theme of health, the three walkers discussed how we were staying healthy in the time of the pandemic and the resources available to us. As we were walking through Harwich I wanted to share a few comments from Amy Giaquinto, the founder of Personalized Fitness Solutions in Harwich. Amy is an example of a life-long learner, challenging herself and her clients to continue to grow physically, spiritually, and on issues of race and privilege. I interviewed Amy via email earlier in the week and share a few of her insights here.
“This is a stressful time, consciously and sub-consciously and focusing on self-care through general wellness and exercise is crucial to help manage stress and anxiety. When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which can help bring about feelings of joy, happiness and general well-being.”
“On both a physical and psychological level a strong core is vital. Your core, made up of not only your abdominal muscles but also your pelvic floor, lower back and glute muscles work together as a unit, vital to building a strong foundation. A strong core helps us to feel physically stable and strong, which in turn helps us emotionally feel more in control and empowered.”
“There is a lack of understanding and awareness, and it is our job to educate ourselves and to foster change….my hope is that we will all work together for change.”
Each week we encounter the presence of the Native Americans who thrived on Cape Cod before the white settlers arrived in the 1600s. Chatham has a rich Wampanoag history and current connection with the new wetu, constructed by Mashpee Wampanoag member David Weeden and his son Attaquin, behind the Atwood House. A current exhibit there, “Turning Point” tells the story of the Mayflower and the impact the ship’s arrival had on the native people living in the area.
HistoricChatham.org is rich with information about the history of the Wampanoags. For thousands of years they have lived in this area, staying near the shore during the warmer months and moving inland for cover in the wint
er, into a wetu similar to the one now found on the Atwood property. Prior to 1712 the town of Chatham was called the village of Monomoit, one of 67 villages of the Wampanoag nation. The current Route 28 was once the walking path for the native peoples to travel between what is now Orleans and Chatham. The Monomoyick people were hunters, farmers, and gatherers and fished the local waters. Their government and community were designed to create a balanced society between the natural world and one another.
er, into a wetu similar to the one now found on the Atwood property. Prior to 1712 the town of Chatham was called the village of Monomoit, one of 67 villages of the Wampanoag nation. The current Route 28 was once the walking path for the native peoples to travel between what is now Orleans and Chatham. The Monomoyick people were hunters, farmers, and gatherers and fished the local waters. Their government and community were designed to create a balanced society between the natural world and one another.The English colonists arrived with a grant from the King to inhabit the land. An uneasy peace existed for many years between the natives and the colonists, living in their separate villages. English men married Wampanoag women, including families such as the Nickersons and many others across Cape Cod. Many of the founders of the town of Chatham were in fact descendants of Native Americans. “They didn’t associate themselves with natives because a lot of times it was easier to not be identified as native, “ Weeden Said. “It was an easier life, to be accepted and assimilated if you didn’t identify, so that was a factor”. (Cape Cod times 6/9/20).
Entering Chatham center we stopped at Pilgrims Landing,a non-profit interspiritual center working at the intersection of spirituality, education and social justice, and is the home of the Chatham Labyrinth, established in 2010. Pilgrims Landing ( Pilgrimslandingcapecod.org) ) offers year-round educational programming and meaningful experiences for those on a journey toward a more peaceful, compassionate and just world. We were joined by five other walkers, including Wilderness for a second walk with her grand-daughter, Mary Ellen, and two members of the social justice group at the Center. Also speaking with our group was Danielle Tolley and Dawn Tolley, founders and family who with Anne Bonney, gave birth to the Center in 2013. Danielle provided information on the mission and plans for the Center and Dawn spoke to us about the heart and soul of the current work being done around social justice and resilience.
We then walked together to the Labyrinth in Chase Park. Anne helped us understand the meaning behind the labyrinth, its origins and some of the benefits of walking the path. She encouraged us to walk as individuals and as part of a group of seekers of understanding racial and social justice issues. We each walked the circuit at our own pace, and joined together for a debrief after. One participant said she didn’t know going into the labyrinth that she needed healing but that is what she felt from the experience. Another shared that even with the distractions from the noise nearby, it was an opportunity to reflect and be grateful. Everyone found it to be a powerful experience. Anne shared with us a blessing which included the phrase “May our longing for oneness, our prayers for circles unbroken, be heard and honored here”. For the full blessing please go to chathamlabyrinth.com
Extra: Please check out the comments by Rev. James David Matters of Faith Column 6/28 CC Times; Much needed advice and support for spiritual health! evensongministries.com
Our walk concluded by visiting the Atwood Museum grounds to see the wetu by the Weedens, which was similar to one we saw on Week 2 at the Mashpee Wampanoag museum. Many of us plan to return to see the new exhibit at Atwood on the Mayflower and the connections to the Wampanoags. We walked the mile back to Pilgrims Landing via Oyster Pond and relished the Chatham breeze pushing us onward.
Speaking of onward, our walk next week is our sixth one of the summer and will start in Brewster and take us through Orleans up to the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham. We will look at the connections between the Brewster Sea Captains and slavery and focus on the environment and conservation through the Seashore. Please feel free to check back on Monday for the route and meeting places. Please note we are starting at 7:30 am due to the heat and will conclude early afternoon. Please also tune in to Facebook Live on Friday at 10am for a summary of the Harwich-Chatham experience with additional details and observations to share. Thank you!
Blessings, Peggy
COMMUNITY COUNTS: Week 5 Don’t just stand there: Do something!
In his 2017 book Across That Bridge, John Lewis, the Civil Rights hero who died last Friday, wrote, “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
Amid all the passionate words poured out by a heartbroken nation in the days since Lewis’ death, my heart was touched most deeply by his own words – challenging us to DO something – not to hope, or even to pray, though those actions may bring comfort, but to do our part to create the change we want and need.
The quote also brought to mind a refrain I’ve heard frequently since George Floyd’s murder brought on our current national convulsions toward racial justice. Or rather, a refrain I’ve heard from white people: “I want to do something, but I don’t know what.” Or variations thereof.
As noted in my column last month, we may gain some sense of accomplishment by showing up at public programs and protests, by speaking up among friends and co-workers, or by – ahem – writing columns about the enormity of the problem. But at the end of the day, it’s the hard work of systemic change that must take place, and how do we do that?
Peggy Jablonski, an educational consultant of Brewster, found one answer to that question. She had hoped to spend part of her summer hiking El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Known popularly as the Camino, it actually comprises numerous pilgrimage routes ranging from 60 to over 600 miles. It is walked or biked by growing throngs of people seeking spiritual growth and insight, or a host of other purposes. The Camino has been traversed by pilgrims and seekers since the Middle Ages.
Obviously, Peggy’s plans were thwarted by the pandemic. Like most of us, as she absorbed the shocking impact of the Coronavirus, she was also moved deeply by the outpouring of rage and demands for change sparked by the murder of George Floyd. She too was gripped by the question: “What can I do?”
In part, Peggy Jablonski came to the realization that her education about the history of people of color in these United States was impoverished, to say the least. In our schools, we learn little about the accomplishments of Black and Native people, nor about the misdeeds of Whites in relation to racial justice.
Jablonski decided to expand her own education, and perhaps that of others, by creating her own Camino right here on Cape Cod. Minimal research revealed that the Cape encompasses dozens of locations, historical markers, and educational opportunities to learn about struggles for justice and the histories of African-American, Cape Verdean, Wampanoag and other peoples of color here on this fragile peninsula. So she designed her own Camino – on eight Wednesdays in July and August, to walk the length of Cape Cod while focusing on these histories in plain sight but little known.
On the first Wednesday, July 8, the walk traversed both sides of the Cape Cod Canal, and the second, July 15, the Shining Sea Path, a seaside road first carved into the landscape by the Wampanoag people along Buzzards Bay. Each week focuses on particular themes, developed through advance reading and enhanced along the way by visits to historical locations and talks with local experts.
This past Wednesday, the route went from Mashpee to Hyannis, including visits to the Wampanoag Museum and the Zion Union Heritage Museum, including talks with local NAACP leader and Zion Museum Director John Reed and some of the artists whose work is displayed there. Next Wednesday, the walk begins at Cape Cod Community College and continues to Yarmouth and Dennis, focusing on education, poverty and food insecurity.
Peggy invites participation in any part or all of the rest of her pilgrimage. For more information, search on Facebook for “Cape Cod Camino Way” and ask to join the group. You’ll see abundant detail about the pilgrimage thus far and plans for the remaining Wednesday walks, as well as other activities through the last walk on Aug. 26 and additional discussions, both in person and via Facebook live. All in-person activities require masks and social distancing.
Don’t just stand there. DO something!
Kathleen Schatzberg is a former president of Cape Cod Community College. Her company Bearwell Strategies specializes in writing, editing and pet care. Her monthly column chronicles community building on Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Camino Way Project: Week 2
Cape Cod Camino Way: Week 2 Falmouth to Woods Hole
I am beginning to realize that the Cape Cod Camino Way is like a mini-series of eight shows, each requiring preparation, content, background, routes, logistics, engaging company, good weather, and stamina. Thankfully, I had all of these for Week 2, with the focus on women and people of color in the science fields. Over the course of almost 5 hours, we walked the Shining Sea bike path, with a detour into Falmouth Center and along the beach, taking in the variety of signs along the way and statues of two famous women.
Each week I prepare an itinerary for the walk that includes quotes from relevant writings, songs, poems, prayers, etc. I want to make the walk inspirational for anyone who joins me and for those of you following via the blog or the Facebook page. I chose to focus this week on the contributions of women and people of color in science due to the myriad of research and science-based institutions in Woods Hole.
At the beginning of the Shining Sea Bike Path in N. Falmouth I discovered that I left my notes for the event, with all the quotes and songs on the kitchen table. Even though I planned and prepared for the day ahead, I needed to improvise with what I could remember, and pull up on my phone. I took at deep breath and stepped off with Lauren to start the day. We shared our intentions for the walk paying tribute to the Native lands we would travel.
Within 2 miles I rolled onto my right ankle, fell left onto my hip and sustained road rash on my leg. Shaken up a bit, I took a sip of water and relaxed into the moment. “Be more aware of your surroundings, let go of your disappointment about forgetting your notes and everything will be ok” I whispered to myself. I got up, dusted off, and stepped forward into the peaceful woods and bogs surrounding the path and the Sippewissett Marsh we passed through.
For the next few miles, Lauren and I talked about the challenges of being a woman in a non-traditional field such as science. I shared the story of my sister in law, Jillian McLeod, professor at the Coast Guard Academy, one of the only Black women in the country with a PhD in theoretical math. Her work on equity and inclusion at the CGA is making a difference in the education of thousands of students. For a diversion, we discussed one of our favorite places to travel: Ireland! I told her stories from my ten trips to Ireland, including one of a missing front tooth and golfing over 50 times in the Emerald Isle. We were transported to the west Coast of Ireland, similar views with bogs and
inlets we were walking. When will we be able to travel internationally again? We also talked about good books, and I shared a current favorite: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Trained traditionally as a botanist, Kimmerer brings the lenses of her Native Potawatomi background and ecological consciousness to understand the earth and her plants. She weaves together her science background with deep wisdom from indigenous knowledge. For both enlightening and engaging summer reading, treat yourself and others to a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass.
Prior to the walk, I spoke with Claudia Womble who is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the 5 other major institutions in Woods Hole to implement the recommendations from the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Report by Robert Livingston. The Woods Hole Diversity Initiative seeks to implement a plan for recruitment, retention and accountability around all aspects of diversity and inclusion. In front of the Falmouth Library at 11 am, a group of us met with Donna Mock-Munoz de Luna, from the Marine Biological Lab and the Diversity Initiative, for a conversation about women in science. Why is it important to have various backgrounds and perspectives represented in our research organizations? View the video to hear Donna, Patricia Pinto D’Sliva from NOAA, and Lilli Feronti, a 14 year old Falmouth activist speak with us about opportunities and challenges for women and people of color in the sciences.
In front of the Falmouth Library stands the statue of Katherine Lee Bates, the author of the song “America the Beautiful”. Not many statues of women exist on Cape Cod, and I wanted to find out more about her and another famous woman, Rachel Carson, whose statue would be at the end of our walk in Woods Hole. Hence the name of this blog.
Our group of six discussed the original song, originally written as a poem in 1893 after Bates, born in Falmouth and a professor at Wellesley College, traveled across the country and was taken by the scenery. Bates’ original poem extolls the pilgrim’s march for freedom across America, with the phrases:
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
This struck me odd, and left me questioning what exactly did this mean? Given that George Floyd was just killed in a brutal fashion, pinned down under a police officer’s knee, this begged a question- what did she mean?
The final stanza of the original poem also said this:
“America! America!
God shed His grace on thee.
Til nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!”
What does this mean? Why was that removed from the next two versions of the song? Why had I never heard that before? I immediately thought of white supremacy, and restoring America to a “whiter” jubilee. I could be completely off base, and I wanted to explore this more and could not find further references to meaning of the original work.
I did discover however, a revised version of America the Beautiful by the cast of Hamilton. Here are a few stanzas from that song (found on Youtube):
Let America be the dream it could be.
Land of Liberty with no false patriotic grief.
Opportunity is real and Life is Free.
Equality is in the air we breathe.
But there has never been equality for me,
Nor freedom for me in the home of the free…
America, America
God shed His grace on thee.
Who lives, who dies, Who tells your story?
Walking along the shore from Falmouth to Woods Hole with Lilli, her sister and mom, and two others, was a change of scenery and spirit. The young people with us were full of hope, energy and inspiration for the future. We talked of opportunities for girls in college and careers in a variety of fields. To walk with powerful young people working for change, becoming more aware of social and racial justice issues was the highlight of my day.
As we arrived at Woods Hole a doe came onto the path to greet us. In this time of COVID, the natural world seems more alive and filled with surprises. We completed the walk in Woods Hole, with a photo in front of the Rachel Carson statue. Carson was an American marine biologist who advanced the global environmental movement and influenced the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, currently under assault by the Trump administration. We celebrated our time together with a nourishing lunch, and a sense of gratitude about our day together. Even without my map and notes, the day emerged exactly as it should have.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 3: The Wampanoags, The Arts and People of Color, Zion Heritage Museum
Towns: Mashpee, Cotuit, Centerville, Osterville, Marstons Mills, Barnstable, Hyannis, 14 miles
This walk was the most difficult to map out due to the road system and lack of sidewalks along the way. For about 4 miles, we walked on busy streets, in the rain, with no sidewalks and cars and trucks whizzing by us leaving a trail of mist and road dirt. Lauren and I stopped to consider that our route today was a symbol of what has been experienced by of people of color and Native Americans for generations: always facing a head wind, a storm, an uphill climb. We used the analogy to brace ourselves and continue to make progress over our 14 mile route.
We began the day in the sun at the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum, which was closed, but provided a perfect setting out back with a canoe and wetu that provided the setting for us to talk about the People of the First Light. In the wetu, we saw how the natives lived on and from the land, using bark of elm trees for “shingles” on their circular home. Inside we found the remnants of a fire, and a few quahog shells. I chose the quahog or clam shell to represent the Camino Way, as the Wampanoags used the quahog for food, as wampum, or beads for trading, and for jewelry. Just like the Camino Way in Spain, we have a shell to represent the Cape Cod Camino Way.
The Wampanoags have occupied the same region in the Northeast for over 12,000 years and have faced the diminishment of their homelands since colonization. The Mashpee tribe currently has approximately 2600 enrolled citizens. Today the Wampanoag Tribe is seeking action by Congress to protect their homelands and designation as a federal tribe which has been threatened by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Trump administration.
A few facts that we considered that morning:
- Before the Pilgrims arrived, traders from Europe brought yellow fever to the Northeast coast and 2/3 of the Wampanoag nation (estimated at 45,000) died.
- When the colonists, the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod in 1620, the Wampanoags were settled in Southeastern MA, the Cape, Eastern Rhode Island and Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
- In 1655 Harvard opened the Indian College to educate Indian youth and convert them to Christianity.
- In 1675 over 40% of the tribal population was killed in King Phillips War (between the colonists and the Native Americans) and large numbers of healthy males were sold into slavery. Some women and children were also enslaved by colonists in New England.
- In 1685 Plymouth Colony confirmed a deed to tribal leaders of 25 square miles of land and subsequently appoints guardians to limit the Tribe’s independence. Ironically, the King of England sided with the Tribe and Mashpee is recognized as a self-governing Indian District.
- In the Boston Massacre in 1770 Crispus Attucks, a Wampanoag is killed. Many Wampanoags fight in the American Revolution on behalf of independence.
- By the mid 1800s the Massachusetts legislature revokes the Tribe’s governing authority, and in 1869 members of the Tribe are made citizens of the state. In 1870 the MA Legislature conveys 5000 acres in tribal ownership to create the town of Mashpee.
- The Wampanoags cultivated varieties of the “three sisters” (Maize or corn, beans, and squash) as the staples of their diet, with fish and game as supplements. They had a matrilineal system, in which women controlled property and hereditary status was passed through the maternal line. They were also matrifocal, meaning a married couple went to live with the woman’s family. Women elders approved the selection of chiefs or sachems. Women had socio-political, economic and spiritual roles in their communities.
As Marie and Lauren and I reflected on this history that we had heard little of in the past, we were reminded that “victors tell the story”. We don’t know that the first peoples in these united states were matrilineal- it would take generations for women to be able to inherit money or property under the democratic republic that the Europeans established. Where would we be if women held a more equal role in the new republic? If women were tr
ue partners in the democracy? Where would we be if we shared the land with the Wampanoags instead of taking by force or coercion what was not our ancestors to take? What do we still owe the First Peoples?
ue partners in the democracy? Where would we be if we shared the land with the Wampanoags instead of taking by force or coercion what was not our ancestors to take? What do we still owe the First Peoples?Lauren and I walked on in the rain that had started, following Rt 130, a main road with lots of traffic driving too fast in the rain. We were splattered with road grime and the mist clouded her glasses. After a stop under the awning at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, we spoke about what is in our art museums on Cape Cod. How much art truly reflects who was here, or is currently here? The Cotuit Center in “normal” years offers a range of programming and provides music, theater and visual arts in several towns including underserved, low-income and at risk youth. As the Center plans to reopen soon, we hope they take this opportunity to expand their thinking around what themes are presented in the Center, what stories are told, and incorporate voices of Indigenous and People of Color. As we passed the Cahoon Museum we also questioned the bright blue paint on the trees out front- how can they breathe? As we just saw how the Wampanoag used the trees for their homes, and treated nature with respect, it seemed incongruous to us that someone would paint the trees.
Our gathering point at the Armstrong Kelly park brought additional walkers and a rest stop to feature a tribute to John Lewis, civil rights legend who passed away this week. Two poignant quotes from Mr. Lewis:
“You are a light. Never let anyone- any person or any force- dampen, dim or diminish your light. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, and peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.”
“Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
We read a poem by Nikkie McLeod, my sister in law’s sister, a Black poet and musician in NY City who was with us in spirit. We walked on to Craigville beach with conversations between the various group members, including my 6 year-old niece. We supported each other’s quest for engagement with the place we were walking and the people we were with. We walked by some of the most expensive real estate on the Cape, mansions and acres of property abutting Nantucket Sound, cared for by an army of landscapers and caretakers.
At one point we stopped in a driveway to allow some members to take a break. A landscaper from across the street ventured over and asked what we were doing? There we were a group of five white women, one white man, one Black woman and her biracial child. Why was someone crossing the street to ask us what we were doing there? Did he want to provide us directions or assistance? Three of us had on the purple Cape Cod Camino Way tee shirt. We looked like a walking group. I thought it was “no big deal”. My brother questioned his motive on behalf of the group, and his wife. They are used to being questioned. They are used to being seen as “different”. I walked on in silence thinking about what just happened and how it impacted him and my sister in law differently than me.
Stopping at the beach to refresh and pick up another walker, Linda, we made our way for the next 3 miles into Hyannis. For the first time on our walk we saw a few Black Lives Matter signs. What did this mean? Why had we not seen them through some of the other towns? Why did we see Ron Beatty signs back in Mastons Mills with BLM spray painted on them? The level of discourse in our country, and even here on Cape Cod, is fractured and angry in tone. When is anger justified? When is civil disobedience?
The final stop on Walk 3 was the highlight of the day: the Zion Heritage Museum tour with John Reed, the Executive Director, Pamela Chatterton-Purdy creator of the Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, and David Purdy, Board Member. Our group of walkers were provided a history of the founding of the Museum and the story behind the creation of the Icons, including current icon of Travon Martin. John’s stories of the experiences of people of color on Cape Cod, in particular in the Hyannis area were poignant, mirroring the same issues we read about daily in the national news. Blacks being stopped for no reason by the police. Blacks being followed in stores. Blacks not being on Rt 6A after dark. Issues of justice, economics, health care.
Pamela’s personal story was moving, a white couple with biracial and black children. We were curious about a connection to the current BLM movement, the current struggles playing out across the country. What inspired her to use a traditional medium to portray 40 people and events of importance in Black history and civil rights? I was grateful for her presence and willingness to speak with us 1-1 and tell the stories of the Icons.
I was drawn again to the art of resident artist Robin Joyce Miller who chronicles the life of African Americans from slavery, the “Middle Passage” to the inauguration of Barak Obama. Her use of a traditional medium of quilting creates a beautiful tapestry for story-telling. Her artwork of Langston Hughes poetry is stunning. I want to know more. I encourage everyone to tour this gem in Hyannis and learn more of the culture and story of our people of color on this peninsula.
What inspires us to continue to learn the story of people of color on Cape Cod? I ask each of us to answer that question and follow this journey by joining a walk if you can, even for a mile or two, or follow this Facebook page and blog each week to hear about the issues and resources available right here on Cape Cod. Join us each Saturday morning at 9 for a Facebook Live chat about our week’s learning. These walks are proving to be an inspiration for me, as well as a prod for further exploration and action.
Note: My sister Marie provided the logistical support to our walkers today: My brother, Steve and sister in law Jillian, niece Laurel, Friends Lauren, Linda and Wilderness, and joining us at the Zion Museum, Lilli Feronti and Kathleen Schatzberg. A hearty group, with Lauren along for the third time, and braving the rain for over an hour on a busy stretch of Rt 130 and 28. Thanks to everyone who participated and made this a special day for our family!
Cape Cod Camino Way Project. Week 1
Blog Post: Walk 1 Cape Cod Canal
Step by Step
Watching the rushing water flowing through the Canal, I feel the current pulling me downstream to see what is around the bend. The Canal unfolds slowly to reveal its true nature. I believe that will be true of exploring Cape Cod by foot, one step at a time. To be on a pilgrimage is to go on both an inner and outer journey. So begins my walks around Cape Cod during the summer of 2020. I choose to use this time during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore racia
l and social injustice right here on the Cape, as well as undertake my own work to deepen my awareness of my privilege and the connected responsibility to both make and support change. I stand at the end of the Canal near the Sandwich marina with three other white women and think about the weeks ahead: I will be walking to touch each town on the Cape, with an open heart and inquiring mind, to see beneath the surface of our beautiful, tranquil peninsula and understand more fully what life is like for Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). My sister Marie is here with me, and I am grateful for her support today and all days.
l and social injustice right here on the Cape, as well as undertake my own work to deepen my awareness of my privilege and the connected responsibility to both make and support change. I stand at the end of the Canal near the Sandwich marina with three other white women and think about the weeks ahead: I will be walking to touch each town on the Cape, with an open heart and inquiring mind, to see beneath the surface of our beautiful, tranquil peninsula and understand more fully what life is like for Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). My sister Marie is here with me, and I am grateful for her support today and all days.I start today with a blessing: to acknowledge the lands on which I will walk belong to the native peoples, the Wampanoag. May I honor those who have walked these lands before me. May I be open to listening and reflecting through a process of inner and outer exploration. May I be changed, my commitment to eradicating social justice strengthened and my work around anti-racism informed for the future.
Reflecting on my first walk a few days later, what did I see and hear that enriched the experience and my learning?
- We explored our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to ask important questions about life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
- What rights exist for all peoples? What rights are denied?
- When did Black, Indigenous and People of Color give their consent to be governed- when their lands were taken from them? When they were in chains in slavery?
- “All men are created equal”. If the use of the term “men” in 1776 included all people as it normally did that would mean women and those enslaved and the natives who were here before the Europeans colonized these lands would be covered by that term. Why does “men” sometimes mean all people, and in the case of our founding Declaration only mean white, privileged men?
The Declaration of Independence declares the people have the right to abolish the government when it becomes destructive to the preservation of their rights. Isn’t that essentially what people all over this country and the world are protesting about in 2020? At another rest stop, I read part of the essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones, “The Idea of America” from the 1619 Project in New York Times Magazine. www.pulitzercenter.org/1619
Slavery started in Virginia, 157 years before our Declaration of Independence. It was ingrained into the foundation of American colonies with the labor of Black and Brown people providing the “machinery” to fuel the fortunes of white America that continues to this day. “The United States is a nation founded on both an ideal and a lie…the white men who drafted those words did not believe them to be true for the hundreds of thousands of black people in their midst.” It took a violent civil war to end slavery. What we have not done as a country is truly reckon with the legacy of slavery that continues to exist today in every aspect of our lives: our economy, health care, housing, employment, education, government and so on. We walked into a headwind for the morning, stopping to watch the herons catch fish and share our stories related to democracy. I thought about how BIPOC are always walking into a headwind, bei
ng judged through unconscious bias and discriminatory practices inherent in our systems. We caught up on each other’s lives along the way and would pause as the church bells tolled or a ship when by. I was reminded that walking the Canal on a beautiful day in the middle of the week is a privilege that many people don’t have due to the demands of work and family. At one point in the conversation, near the Aptucxet Trading Post, we talked about the protests going on around the country and how terrified we were to see what happened in Washington DC- a president clearing the plaza in front of a church through violent means for a photo opportunity with a Bible. I share with my friends how watching that night unfold on tv had a profound impact on me. I went down to the beach and created a video of me stating the Preamble to the Constitution, and that we are an imperfect constitutional democracy not a dictatorship. I posted it on Facebook to take a stand.
ng judged through unconscious bias and discriminatory practices inherent in our systems. We caught up on each other’s lives along the way and would pause as the church bells tolled or a ship when by. I was reminded that walking the Canal on a beautiful day in the middle of the week is a privilege that many people don’t have due to the demands of work and family. At one point in the conversation, near the Aptucxet Trading Post, we talked about the protests going on around the country and how terrified we were to see what happened in Washington DC- a president clearing the plaza in front of a church through violent means for a photo opportunity with a Bible. I share with my friends how watching that night unfold on tv had a profound impact on me. I went down to the beach and created a video of me stating the Preamble to the Constitution, and that we are an imperfect constitutional democracy not a dictatorship. I posted it on Facebook to take a stand.“We the people, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Crossing the Bourne Bridge late morning to walk the Sagamore side of the Canal found me above the Canal looking out to Buzzards Bay and wondering about the lived experiences of all people who call Cape Cod home. We gathered at the park near the railroad bridge and reflected on Frederick Douglass’ address on July 5, 1852 “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” We listened as his descendants spoke Douglass’ truths:
“I am not included within the
pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mind. You may rejoice, I must mourn…”
pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mind. You may rejoice, I must mourn…”The powerful and passionate voices of the children who recited these words resounded deeply within me. My friend Linda and I continued our walk to Scusset Beach, a shared history of over thirty years in higher education together. We reflected on what has changed, and what is left to be changed. We spoke of 2020 as a time like 1968 and the early 1970s, where people across the country are doing the work to change our institutions and ourselves. We spoke of our roles over three decades as mentors and sponsors of others, people of color and white, and reminded ourselves that we need to continue to do more now. We reached the end of the Canal and celebrated our accomplishment of 13.5 miles with a yoga pose, Warrior II. I’ve taken a photo of Warrior poses on many of my travels, and the strength, grounding and rising up from the core of one’s being symbolized our first walk today. Remain open to the experience.
Please join us for any of the next 7 walks on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Each walk will highlight different places, people and historical connections to broaden our perspectives. As one participant said this week “I never walked the Canal before and the opportunity to reflect on these issues while walking is a gift”.
“Walking is the best way to get out of your head”. Phil Cousineau
Eight Principles for a Restorative Retreat in 2020 (even just 24 hours!)
Too busy to take time for R and R? Too many meetings, projects, family demands, mind-numbing news cycles? Creating space in your scheduled life to retreat and reflect (as well as relax and rejuvenate) can be a true challenge but a fabulous gift to yourself. And you deserve it! Once you give yourself the space, 24 hours or a full week or more away, the benefits will build exponentially.
To create the opportunity to expand into a new decade from a place of awareness and choice is a powerful commitment to yourself. Try starting with just 24 hours, incorporating as many of the 8 principles outlined below as you desire. Then in another month or two, expand to a weekend. After 6 months, commit to a 4-7 day retreat for yourself. This is a good way to build momentum toward positive self-care and awareness.
1. Stillness. Use the 24 hours to not “do” much of anything related to the outside world, which includes family and all electronics. Try spending time with simple pleasures, cooking a healthy meal, meditation, suing a sauna or taking a long bath, and walking for at least an hour in nature.
2. Sleep. Adequate sleep is the foundation for all health and wellness. Prepare yourself and your surroundings for a full night’s rest.
3. Movement. Paradoxically, move during your stillness period. Move your body slower than normal- if you run, then walk instead, especially in nature. Move your body to increase your oxygen flowing to all your organs, including your brain.
4. Read. Instead of reading your email, news, or Facebook, read a novel, poetry, or a biography of someone you admire. Take a break and escape into a good book.
5. Nature. Being in nature is therapeutic for our minds, bodies and spirits. We are reminded of the wonder and beauty in the natural world and in our connection to the world around us.
6. Nurture. Practice self-care (think massage, yoga, warm bath) not self-indulgence. Simple mind/body awareness from breathing and centering practices found online at OM.org or Yoga Journal will inform your self-care.
7. Nourish. Eat clean. By eliminating hard to digest processed foods, filled with chemicals, your body will thank you. Try eliminating wheat, dairy, meat and sugar for a few days around your retreat and notice any differences in your body.
8. Gratitude. Use some of your 24 hours to give thanks to yourself, your family and friends, co-workers, spiritual leaders and influential mentors and guides in your past. Consider sending a card to one or two of these people to thank them for their impact on your life.
Through the use of one, many or all of the 8 essentials for a retreat experience, your will provide the environment for restoration of your mind/body/spirit. Before you dash off a dozen goals for 2020 or for the decade ahead, consider downshifting with the R and R practices here to inform your “being” before you think about “doing”. I promise you, the outcome will look and feel different for you and enhance your life moving forward.
Happy retreating, reflecting and rejuvenating!
Walking the Cape Cod Camino
Walking the Cape Cod Camino
An exercise in reflecting on systemic racism in a privileged community
WELLFLEET — In the middle of the current racism pandemic, many of us who are not black or brown — who do not worry that our sons will be murdered while jogging — are wondering what we can do.
One white woman from Brewster, Peggy Jablonski, spent eight Wednesdays this summer walking all 15 towns of the Cape on a personal journey to reflect on racial injustice. Beginning at the Canal on July 8 and concluding in Provincetown on Aug. 26, she welcomed others to join her on the “Cape Cod Camino,” fashioned on the Camino de Santiago, the “way of St. James” pilgrimage in Spain.
I joined the Wellfleet portion in week seven, walking five miles from the bike path parking lot in South Wellfleet to Ocean View Drive, then along Cahoon Hollow Road, across Route 6, and up Main Street, ending at Preservation Hall. Though I was drawn to the idea of the walk, an opportunity to spend time with like-minded others and an exercise challenge, I worried that a stroll along beautiful Cape Cod byways smacked of white privilege. Black men were being shot, Covid deaths in communities of color continued to soar, and we were going for a walk?
But the intentions of the walkers moved me. We were to think about the places where we walked, to reflect on the systemic racism built into our communities of privilege, to educate ourselves, and to commit to change.
Each week had a different theme; week seven’s focus was black, indigenous, and people of color in the arts. We learned about Robin Joyce Miller’s fabric art and Pamela Chaterton-Purdy’s mixed-media icons of the civil rights movement, on display at the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. We heard poetry by Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the U.S. We were introduced to visual artists Shirin Neshat of Iran, and Aaqil Ka of Brooklyn, when our youngest walker displayed their work via her phone. We acknowledged the Wampanoag land over which we were passing.
We were also asked to pay attention to our bodies. Before LeCount Hollow Road turned left to become Ocean View Drive, my breathing became labored when I talked and walked at the speed of the others. The oldest in the group, I was humbled to realize I was the slowest.
When the walk ended, we were encouraged to participate in follow-up reflections on the pilgrimage. To my surprise, this was where the work deepened.
I grew up in the South with racism I couldn’t accept but which I certainly understood. What surprised and saddened me was the racism I discovered when I moved to Cape Cod. The Mason-Dixon Line didn’t divide attitudes in the past, just as it doesn’t today. The Cape’s history, like the South’s, is America’s history, rooted in slavery.
The deeper work of the Cape Cod Camino was finding these historical truths. Provincetown benefited from the salt cod industry that fed enslaved people on plantations in the Caribbean. The mansions of ship captains, today charming bed-and-breakfast inns, were built with shipping wealth directly tied to slavery. After slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts, a strong anti-abolitionist movement took root here. During an 1848 anti-slavery convention in Harwich, 2,000 people stormed the meeting and ran the abolitionists out of town.
Times changed, and, 12 years later, the Cape Cod Anti-Slavery Convention in Harwich Exchange Hall insisted on “immediate and unconditional abolition.” Historian James Coogan has noted that the Cape’s history of slavery and its changing attitude towards abolition remains an “ambivalent legacy” whose scars are still felt in our communities today.
My husband and I have a sign in our yard, “Black Lives Matter to Cape Codders,” distributed by Indivisible. Someone tried to remove it from its wire holder, but, unable to pull it loose, simply tossed it onto another part of our lawn. Did someone want it for a souvenir? Probably not.
Our challenge remains to have conversations with our friends and neighbors, and even our families, about the need for racial justice. Maybe taking a walk is a good place to begin.
Candace Perry writes plays, short stories, and essays.
Lessons Learned from the Cape Cod Camino Way
Lessons Learned from the Cape Cod Camino Way
By KATHRYN EIDENT • SEP 3, 2020
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Peggy Jablonski in front of a Cape Cod Rail Trail sign.CAPE COD CAMINO WAY FACEBOOK PAGE
As we’ve reported, the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May spurred protests around the country, and across the Cape, the Coast and the Islands against police brutality and systemic racism.
Brewster resident Peggy Jablonski was moved to explore her home of Cape Cod, this time through the lens of racism and issues affecting people of color.
She called it the Cape Cod Camino Way, after a pilgrimage in Spain. Her weekly walks recently ended, and CAI’s Kathryn Eident talked with her to ask her how it went.
Jablonski It was an amazing, deeply touching, really profound experience to spend eight weeks walking through every town on Cape Cod, trying to be fully aware and present to, you know, whatever we were able to see, and people that we were able to talk to and listen to their stories. We learned about the economy, health care, we are housing all these issues related to Black and Indigenous people of color perspectives.
Eident And just remind us, after the death of George Floyd, amid protests both on the Cape and around the country, you were inspired to put together a series of walks and they took you throughout the region, and you invited people to join you.
Jablonski Yes. I basically started with the Cape Cod Canal and structured an experience where people could join one or more. And we walked between 10 and 15 miles on every Wednesday and shared historical facts about the area. I actually had over 40 people participate in one or more of the walks or they met us at one of the sites.
Eident I’m sure you learned so much, but is there something that really struck you that you learned while you were on these walks?
Jablonski I’d say a couple of things. One is to be a really critical consumer of history and the information that we’re being provided, whether it’s through the school system or, you know, our historical site. So, for example, in my own town of Brewster, I dug deeper into the story of the sea captains and: Were any involved in the slave trade? I found the answer was: Probably yes.
And also, that the entire economy of not just Brewster, but all of Cape Cod, had a connection to the slave trade because we help feed the slaves by sending our salt, cod and herring down to the Caribbean. That’s something I just didn’t know. So, I think it’s important that we all understand our connections to issues around Black, Indigenous and people of color, because I did have a couple of people ask me, “Why are you doing this? We don’t really have any issues on Cape Cod.” And what I realized was just by walking every week doing the research, sharing it with people that a lot of people were open to just understanding more.
Eident What was the makeup of the group? You said you had a few dozen people join, at least part, if not all of the walks that you had.
Jablonski The overwhelming majority were women in their 50s, 60s, 70s. Most of them were people who were one or two steps removed and found out about the project through a civic organization, a church, my Facebook page. At least half a dozen people went on several walks and had their own commitment build towards continuing to learn more about racism issues, about the perspectives of the Wampanoag tribe, etc.. So, I felt that being a role model just about how to be a critical consumer was really, you know, a way that I could contribute. There were a few few people of color who joined, especially the day that I walked from the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum to the Zion Heritage Museum. So that was a wonderful experience.
Eident And, now that this has concluded, what’s next? What now?
Jablonski I need to continue to explore how to take the lessons learned from the walks and share those with other groups. I’m gonna try to speak with different civic organizations, churches, etc. I want to write about the project and encourage people to take their own local area and go figure out whose story has not been told yet, or what do they need to understand to better be aware of what’s in their backyard. And then I, you know, I reaffirmed my love for Cape Cod and really a desire to make it an even better place to celebrate all of the people who live here.
Eident Thank you so much for checking in and letting us know how your series of walks went over the summer.
Jablonski Well, thank you, Kathryn, for your interest and I look forward to continuing this work.
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If you want to see videos of Jablonski’s walks you can see them here on the Cape Cod Camino Way on Facebook. You can also hear a previous conversation with Jablonski talking about her inspiration for the walk below.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 7 BLOG: Wellfleet to Truro, 12 miles (Hills!)
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 7 BLOG: Wellfleet to Truro, 12 miles (Hills!)
Cultural Influences/The Arts and BIPOC; Resources for continued learning
Week 7- only two more walks to go in the Summer of 2020. This week 9 others joined the beginning of the walk on Lecount Hollow Road in Wellfleet to the center of town via Ocean View Drive. This week we chose to focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the arts and on current issues.
We began with introductions and setting an intention for our participation in the walk. We honored the Native people and lands we would walk, being reminded that all of Cape Cod once belonged to the Wampanoag. This week Lauren was back for week 7, Kathy, Kate, Lucy and Candace joined for the first time and returners included my sister Marie, Wilderness and Saffron, and Licia. I am so blessed to have these women join in the walk and more importantly in the conversation and learning experience.
This week I prepared the container, with some research and historical information. And others contributed inspirations from writers and poets of color, visual artists and we discussed musicians of color. We first acknowledged the selection of Kamala Harris, the first Black and Indian woman to run for Vice President of the United States. We also highlighted the outstanding speech by Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention. Regardless of party, we were excited to see these women shine in our political process.
I began our experience by sharing a powerful poem by my sister-in-law’s sister, Nikkie, a Trinidadian born poet and musician.
BLACK By Nikkiesha McLeod
We’re at the same juncture where Black people are met with the same struggle, one which seems to never end. We’re still fighting for our lives to matter. We still can’t breathe as the knees of oppression bends into our necks, killing us. We’ve peacefully marched, we’ve walked with our anger boiling beneath our rich and beautiful skin, but yet this ugly history of us being beaten down, being hosed down still continues today. A reflection of us standing up against the fences, the faces of an established denial of my place in the world, where I dream as much as you do. I wish to sing my troubles. But it is the same tune. What else is there for us to say out loud, write down and shout, We shall over come… Should I tell the next generation it’s up to them now, to carry this anger, this despair, this anxiety of living outside, while I can’t even escape it myself? My life is ordinary like the songs of any bird-call voicing an incandescent sound, but because of the hatred of my existence I am martyred for my race, for my color: Black!
Black is the beauty
of the night forever and ever
Black is what brings light.
of the night forever and ever
Black is what brings light.
I noted that I returned to the Atwood Museum Exhibit (from week 5) that focused on the Wampanoag and Mayflower stories- where they connected and the impact on each other. The Atwood included a new room on WWII and I noticed a Black woman as “Rosie the Riveter”, something I had never seen before, and Sugar rationing line that included white boys, and black and white women. It is rare to see images of Black people on the walls of Cape Cod museums and I thanked the curator of the exhibit.
I mentioned to the group there is a special Wampanoag exhibit of “Before 1620 Who Was Here” at the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, Wed-Sat 1-4pm at 258 Main St. This would be an option for those leaving the walk mid-day in Wellfleet. Through numerous artifacts, the exhibit acknowledges the native presence back to 10,000 BCE and questions stereotypes, examining the past through some unusual lenses. We spoke of the Pilgrims landing in Truro at Pilgrim Spring area in search of drinking water, coming ashore at Corn Hill to steal native corn, and skirmishing with the Wampanoags at First Encounter Beach in Eastham. No, Plymouth Rock is NOT the first place the Pilgrims stepped foot in America.
At White Crest Beach on the Atlantic Shore in Wellfleet, Wilderness shared a deeply impactful poem by Lucille Clifton:
won’t you celebrate with me
won’t you celebrate with me
what Ihave shaped into
a king of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did I see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
We continued walking with a sense of heaviness about the lives lost to systemic racism, violence that continues to play out on a regular basis. Violence we all agree must stop.
At the Beachcomber, eerily quiet in the bluff down below us, hanging by a thread above the great ocean, Kate shared her brilliant voice with us with a poem from The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Joy Harjo, our poet laureate. Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
At our next stop at Great Pond, Saffron shared with us a few visual artists she has been exploring. She spoke about each artist and then shared her phone with images of their work. With a good spray of hand sanitizer, we passed the phone to each person who was drawn into the images. We spoke how art is such a powerful tool through which to learn about and connect with cultures other than our own. We have greatly enjoyed connecting with Saffron who at 14 has a depth of knowledge and understanding that touched us deeply.
Shirin Neshat is an Iranian visual artist who lives in NY city. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and the West, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity. The contrast in the Arabic words on the faces and hands of the women were striking to behold.
Aaqil Ka is based in Brooklyn NY and is inspired by nature, culture, technology, social issues. Saffron was taken by his images and enjoyed sharing them with her fellow walkers.
We continued to Wellfleet Center, crossing Route 6 at the traffic light, still a very dangerous proposition. One thing we have seen in each town along our journey is a lack of attention to safety and access via our road system. In many places, there are no sidewalks, causing us to use extreme caution in unsafe conditions. In others, the sidewalks are so overgrown and in poor condition, that walking is still treacherous. It was my observation that people drive too fast on all our roadways, and barely give way for pedestrians. I will think about my own actions as a driver a bit differently having done these walks all summer.
We rested and enjoyed a conversation at Preservation Hall garden in Wellfleet Center. As several people would be leaving the walk here, we shared something we were taking away from today’s experience:
“ I’m going to think about the ugly history referenced in the poem- what are our monuments?”
“I was aware of my privilege to walk freely, with the walk reminding me of being at Standing Rock three years ago, and returning to the Cape with more awareness that all Land in the U.S. was homeland of the Indigenous people.”
“I’m honored to be with people looking at our history, sharing stories: What does celebrating 400 mean?”
“I was so glad to see the visual arts today, remember Freda Kahlo, and acknowledge a friend I lost recently by sharing a poem on her land with everyone”.
“I was reminded about the suffrage movement, how that is tainted too with the story of whiteness. In order to celebrate the suffragettes, we have to recognize that Black women were excluded”.
“Sharing the poems today, listening to the readings and perspectives was powerful. Just walking with all of you. “
Kate then quoted Mary Oliver’s poem Heron by heart and inspired us to explore more of Oliver’s lovely poetry about nature on Cape Cod.
Preservation Hall in Wellfleet upcoming events:
Weed 8/26 at 6 Suzanne Nossel, author of Dare to Speak. CEO of PEN America, the foremost organization working to protect and advance human rights, free expression and literature.
Doc Days Film Series Jazz on a Summer’s Day, virtually as of Fri 8/14
Also locally is the Payomet Performing Arts Center, Truro. Mission: Foster education and excellence in the performing arts; Cultivate cultural and social awareness; explore issues of relevance to the communities we serve.
At a rest stop on the back road hills of Truro, I shared some local historical information with Kate and Lauren, for when we could return and do more exploration.
Wampanoag Indian Woman Memorial
HERE LIES
AN INDIAN WOMAN
A WAMPANOAG
WHOSE FAMILY AND TRIBE
GAVE OF THEMSELVES
AND THEIR LAND
THAT THIS GREAT NATION
MIGHT BE BORN AND GROW REINTERRED HERE MAY 30, 1976
WAMPANOAG TRIBAL COUNCIL
WELLFLEET HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AN INDIAN WOMAN
A WAMPANOAG
WHOSE FAMILY AND TRIBE
GAVE OF THEMSELVES
AND THEIR LAND
THAT THIS GREAT NATION
MIGHT BE BORN AND GROW REINTERRED HERE MAY 30, 1976
WAMPANOAG TRIBAL COUNCIL
WELLFLEET HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The memorial is positioned horizontal on the ground. It is adjacent to the National Seashore parking lot at the entrance to Great Island.
The left photo was taken in 2008 and the right photo in 2010. The photos were supplied by Heather Lagerstrom. Note the increase in the “gifts of respect”.
The fascinating story of Billingsgate Island (from the Wellfleet Historical Society).
“…Today, all that remains of Billingsgate Island is an occasional sandbar a few miles off Wellfleet’s Jeremy Point. But that’s not to say Cape Cod’s ‘mini Atlantis’ has disappeared from the local consciousness. In this article, we look at the history of the island and the people who lived there and examine the efforts many have made to keep Billingsgate’s memory—and legend—alive.
When the Pilgrims arrived in the region in 1620, the town of Billingsgate (which at the time included Eastham and Wellfleet—and the 60-acre island) was home to the Punonakanit people—members of the Wampanoag Federation. In Of Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower scribe William Bradford describes the island as “a tongue of land, being flat, off from the shore, with a sandy point.” According to A History Of Billingsgate by Durand Echeverria, the Native Americans and the Europeans who settled in the Billingsgate community coexisted peacefully until smallpox eventually shrunk the Billingsgate Punonakanit population to just 11 in 1694.
Originally settled by the Europeans as a fishing village, the island was most likely named after the famous Billingsgate fishing market of London. Over time, fishermen living in Wellfleet and Eastham brought their families onto the island where they would fish from early spring to the start of winter.”
Who “originally settled” the land? Who brought the smallpox that almost wiped out the native population? We need to read these historical accounts carefully
I neglected to share the current information below with the walkers, and wanted to include it for the readers of the blog to understand issues of recognition continue for the Wampanoag.
From the Barnstable Human Rights Commission website:
BARNSTABLE COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMISSION SUPPORTS THE MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE (Barnstable, MA – May 4, 2020) – The Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission (HRAC) supports Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in action against Department of Interior. The Human Rights Advisory Commission of Barnstable County, out of respect for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the long, traumatic history they endured, express our extreme displeasure with the Department of Interior’s recent decision denying the Tribe’s right to hold land in trust. At a time when we are collectively sharing significant challenges and together experiencing a period of tremendous hardship, the HRAC hopes that the Department focuses on the immense value of the Tribe and work to ensure a path of cooperation and respect. 2020 is the year that we commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony. This history cannot be told without honoring the immense contribution of the Wampanoag people that are still among us. Thus, we urge the Department to initiate a complete review of the denial and engage in the process of reconsideration that accounts for the full history of this great Tribe. Fairness dictates no other course of action.
ABOUT THE BARNSTABLE COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMISSION: The mission of the Human Rights Advisory Commission is to promote equal opportunity for all persons of Barnstable County regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, gender, age, ancestry, sexual or affectional preference marital, family or military status, source of income, neighborhood or disability, where unlawful discrimination exists in housing, employment, education, public accommodations, town or county services, insurance, banking, credit and health care.
At the end of our hike at the Pamet River Park in Truro, Kate shared one last poem from Joy Harjo that provided the “dessert” for our long day of walking.
Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo
The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.
At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.
Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.
This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.
Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.
We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.
At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.
Postscript: I wanted to note that many of our local nonprofits have been issuing statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Here are a few related to places on our walk today:
The Truro Historical Society (THS) supports the peaceful Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice that is taking place in the United States and around the world. “Liberty and justice for all” means justice for Black and Indigenous populations, and for all people of color.
Museums and archives are not neutral spaces. Because we interpret history, we have the responsibility of presenting the past as fully and accurately as possible, including painful and uncomfortable aspects. The past feeds into the present, and when a community actively engages with its past, it can use its understanding to make a better society.
Truro was founded on land that had been inhabited by Native People for thousands of years, but these people were displaced by English settlers. There were enslaved people and indentured laborers enduring near-slavery conditions in Truro. In 1754, the town’s first minister, Reverend John Avery, bequeathed to his children three African-American enslaved men and “my Indian Girl Sarah.”
After reflecting on the “settler privilege” that most of us enjoy, the THS decided in late 2019 to mark the 400thanniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival with a decolonial exhibition celebrating Truro’s first inhabitants, the Wampanoag Nation, from its origins to today. During the postponement caused by the coronavirus, the THS will continue to consult with Indigenous scholars and community members. We will increase our commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a token of our commitment, the THS wishes to share the Land Acknowledgment we have prepared in consultation with members of the Wampanoag Nation. This statement will stand at the entrance to the Highland House Museum’s permanent exhibition about the Paomet and the Wampanoag peoples.
Land Acknowledgment
The Highland House Museum stands on the traditional homeland of the Paomet Tribe, members of the Wampanoag Nation, who have inhabited Cape Cod for more than 12,000 years and who knew this part of Truro as Tashmuit. The Truro Historical Society acknowledges the displacement, suffering, and forced assimilation of the Wampanoag and other Native Peoples caused by European contact and colonization. We honor the struggles of the Wampanoag, People of the First Light, and support their resilience, and we ask museum visitors to reflect on our shared responsibility to maintain social justice.
From The Board and Staff of the Truro Center for the Arts
To Our Valued Community:
George Floyd was murdered more than a month ago and it feels like the world has shifted seismically since then, finally acknowledging the persistence of the cruel racial and economic disparities that blight our country. The Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill counts inclusivity as a core value but we have not achieved the diversity to which we aspire. Our Board and Staff welcome this moment of historical change and the opportunity it presents to examine ourselves and make the changes necessary to create an arts community that welcomes, serves and nurtures Black, Asian, LatinX and all Indigenous artists.
We strive to create an environment that encourages artists of all types and experiences, but we clearly still have far to go. We will begin by immediately establishing a committee of board members, staff and faculty and giving them a charge to examine our practices to identify instances of implicit bias and ways in which we operate that may discourage broader participation. They will recommend changes needed to remove obstacles and things we must do proactively to extend our hand to engage actively with under-represented communities. We will examine our leadership, our partnerships and our programs to find ways to do better. We aim to do this as soon as we possibly can.
We stand in support of those who have dedicated themselves to the struggle for racial and economic justice. We commit to doing our part.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 6 BLOG: Exploring our History and Environmental Issues
Brewster-Orleans- Eastham, 11 miles
We began the day at the Snowy Owl Coffee shop on 6A in Brewster. Thank you to Lauren for joining Walk #6, Licia and Ailene for walking, Wilderness and her granddaughter Saphron for returning again, and Mary Ellen and Jennie for listening to the talk on Brewster. Thanks Chris for the ride and support.
We started our day with setting an intention for why we were walking, and to offer acknowledgement to the indigenous peoples whose land we would be walking on and through, from Brewster to Orleans and Eastham. Eight of us gathered to hear about the history of the Cape economy, and Brewster in particular with the number of Sea Captains here in the late 1700s and 1800s, the connections to the slave trade/Triangle trade. We also focused on environmental justice from the establishment of the National Seashore to climate change, algae blooms in our ponds, and sustainable practices for healthy living here on Cape Cod.
r about the history of the Cape economy, and Brewster in particular with the number of Sea Captains here in the late 1700s and 1800s, the connections to the slave trade/Triangle trade. We also focused on environmental justice from the establishment of the National Seashore to climate change, algae blooms in our ponds, and sustainable practices for healthy living here on Cape Cod.The possible connections to slavery reveals a complex story, one that is difficult for progressive whites in particular to acknowledge and explore. Our work on this walk, as well as moving forward, is to be open to hearing about the towns we love entwined with the institution of slavery and how they benefited over time. Even if our ancestors came here well after slavery ended (as mine did from Ireland and Poland in the early 1900s), we share a legacy of benefiting from the economic gains made by those who profited from the Triangle Trade in the 1800s.
For me personally, this was the hardest Camino week thus far. I have owned a home in Brewster for twenty years, living here full time the past 7 years. Through the Camino Way process this summer, I now understand in a deeper way the complicity of my community and our former leaders (political, religious, community) in benefiting from trading with the Caribbean to support the institution of slavery. I understand more about my own complicity.
To prepare for this walk, I visited two of Brewster’s historical cemeteries, behind the Unitarian Church and on Lower Road to explore their hidden in plain view stories:
I saw that Sea Captains died and were buried in Africa, Havana Cuba, Port of Prince Haiti. I remember walking these cemeteries several times in the past two decades without carefully reading the headstones and thinking about the stories behind them. I noted how many of the families inter-married and created a strong connection for economic, political, and religious continuity in the town. I then drove up Rt 6A to take photos of the numerous sea captain homes, many of them historic Inns and taverns and thought about how we continue to benefit from the beauty and charm of our historic town through tourism.
All up and down the seacoast of the northern states, merchants traded goods such as wood, textiles, and food (including on ships built on Cape Cod) with the slave owners of the West Indies in return for sugar cane, coffee and other products. The rum from that sugar cane became a mainstay drink for Cape Codders. There also is the thorny question of did any of our Sea Captains actually buy and transport slaves from Africa? In the peak year of 1850 there were 50 clipper captains living in Brewster.
Sally Gunning, the president of the Brewster Historical Society was generous to spend some time with me explaining the possible connections. Sally is an outstanding writer of historical fiction, including her latest book “Monticello” which tells the Jefferson story from the point of view of his daughter Martha and his slave Sally Hemings. Ms. Gunning explained that the Historical Society has a new exhibit to open now in Spring 2021: “Were there slaves in Brewster? Yes.” The exhibit will include documentation from wills, bills of sale, diaries, etc. and interpretation by historians. A few examples:
Brewster became its own town in 1803. Prior to that Brewster was considered part of Harwich. The slave census for Harwich in 1774 included 8 male and 6 female slaves.
- · In 1755 archives, Thomas Clark of the Brewster gristmill fame left in his will “little Negro Molly” to his wife.
- · In 1760, Benjamin Bangs noted in his diary his “Negro Oliver” was sold for 39 pounds. Bangs lived across the street from First Parish UU, and his home eventually became the parsonage. There is also a bill of sale from Bangs for Sarah for 25 pounds- included a warranty of sorts, if she had TB, the buyer could recover his money.
· By 1783 slavery is no longer legal in MA ; after 1790 no slaves are listed on the census. However many Native Americans and Blacks likely remained as indentured servants.
Although Ms. Gunning noted that there is no documented proof of any Brewster captains having direct involvement in the capture and transport of slaves, there are many questions that remain. Meadow Dibble,another local documentarian I spoke with this week, (her parents owned the Brewster General Store) years ago noticed on a grave in the UU cemetery that Benjamin Crosby “ died in Africa 1795”. That raised a major question for her: What was he doing there?
Meadow took on excavating the story of Elijah Cobb, who built the home on Lower Road where the Historical Society is now located, and the ship the Ten Brothers. The captain and crew of Ten Brothers spent months on the west coast of Africa in the fall of 1818, in the gulf of Guinea. In the harbor of Principe many contracted yellow fever and died, including Captain Joseph Mayo. Elijah Cobb, senior member of the crew, sailed the ship back to Boston, stopping at Martinique to unload an unspecified cargo. When they arrived in Boston in July 1819, they brought yellow fever with them, causing an epidemic. He was charged with a public health threat and slave trading. He was cleared of both charges. It is notable that 12 years of Cobbs’ diaries are missing, including many years when he was at sea. Dibble believes his story is a “don’t ask, don’t tell” story of the time. Meadow’s research can be found at: Capecodblackbox.com
How did the town of Brewster, and Cape Cod, benefit from the institution of slavery? Both Sally and Meadow agreed that the entire economy benefited. For example, the salt codfish that were dried all along the coast was shipped to the West Indies to feed the slaves. In historytoday.com :
“But it was sugar which transformed salt cod from a valuable commodity into an economic sensation. By the late 17th century, much of the Caribbean had been given over to sugar production. The cane was grown on large plantations…slaves brought over from West Africa…plantation owners would have to devote great swathes of their land to crops or animals which they were unwilling to do. Their solution was to give the slaves salt cod instead.” New England fishermen turned away from European markets to make a low-grade salt cod for the Caribbean.
“By the 1640s captains were coming back with holds full of salt, sugar, indigo, cotton, tobacco. But the real money was in slaves. New England ships would cross the Atlantic, buy slaves in the Cape Verde islands or West Africa, sell them in the Caribbean, then take cargo-loads of spices and fibres back to New England. They would then return with the salt cod needed to feed the slaves they had sold earlier and the whole process would begin again…it delivered huge profits, especially after 1713 when the development of the schooner, a faster, sleeker ship cut travel times dramatically. “
So the question needs to be asked, if this was happening out of Bristol RI, New Bedford, New York, etc. was this happening here on Cape Cod, and in Brewster? And it was not just cod, but our beloved herring. Herring was cheap and transported well. Who caught the fish? Built the barrels to store the fish? Made the ships? Worked on the ships? Captained the ships? A few more clues:
Captain Winslow Knowles noted in his log: ‘The passengers have been a great annoyance”. In other logs there are notes on palm oil, gold dust, ivory, coffee coming from Africa. What about people?
Cyrus Augustus Bradley, who was the First Parish minister from 1851-1857 wrote: “When I came here the people were extremely sensitive on certain political questions. We were all slaves to slavery…about 50 active ship masters lived in own then, and every one of them sided with the slave interests.”
It seems to me that many members of the town were aware of, directly benefited from, and participated in the Triangle slave trade.
Ironically, some of these same men, and their descendants, active in the Unitarian Universalist and other churches, became abolitionists. There is some indication of several stops on the Underground Railroad on Cape Cod including the Little Inn on Pleasant Bay, Old Yarmouth Inn, and Tern Inn and Cottages in West Harwich.
After this sobering start to our walk we moved onto the Cape Cod Rail Trail to walk through many conservation areas and Nickerson State Forest. We noted how conservation plays a role at the local, state and federal level and that our federal government is currently abdicating its role as protector of the environment and causing real damage through policies, neglect, and inept management.
At the overlook into Skaket marsh we had a conversation about the environment and I shared information from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the leading environmental group on the Cape. Their website if chock full of resources including Tips for an Eco-Friendly sustainable landscape. We talked about the rise in harmful blooms of cyanobacteria in our ponds from excessive fertilizers, human and pet waste and runoff from roadways. I shared information from APCC regarding climate change, support for wind energy, sustainability and water protection. I encourage you to check out apcc.org.
We continued our walk into Orleans Center with a stop at the Chocolate Sparrow for much needed ice coffee. At the picnic tables outside we spoke of what we had learned thus far, expressing a commitment to explore these historical stories further and think about how they impact us today. All the walkers except Lauren and me took leave in Orleans. As we continued on to Eastham, we talked about our friends the Pilgrims again, as the Mayflower replica had just passed through the Cape Cod Canal on its return to Plymouth after a three year restoration. I must admit I had conflicting emotions watching the grandeur of the tall ship passing through the canal escorted by dozens of smaller vessels. The Pilgrims were a persecuted group who left England in search of a better life. Reconciling that fact with how they treated the Indigenous peoples once here remains a difficult question.
From the Eastham Historical Society website, located on Route 6 (which I have passed hundreds of times and didn’t know was there):
An exhibition has been organized to honor the Native Americans, the first European settlers, the founding families and the early settlements of the Outer Cape in the 1600s. It continues the Pilgrim story of migration from Plymouth to Outer Cape Cod, then called “Nawsett” (today’s Nauset), and describes the lives of the first generations of families that settled here.
Our presentation begins with the region’s Native American tribes and their initial encounters–peaceful and not–with early European explorers and then the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Next we recount the expeditions launched from Plymouth to Nauset to find more fertile land to expand and sustain the colony.
Finding that the Outer Cape offered better prospects, at least for some, the Plymouth Colony Court in 1644 gave land grants to each of seven families to settle the area that today includes parts of Orleans and Wellfleet, and all of Eastham. We explore the backgrounds of these founding families, and the imprint their first and second generations left on our history.
I was astounded to read that 7 families received all the land in Eastham, part of Orleans and Wellfleet that was populated already by the native peoples! What did this mean for the Native peoples living here? Hundreds of families now call this area home. Some current statistics on the population given Nauset High School statistics: 85% White, 5 % Black, 4 % Hispanic, < 1 % Native; 3% one or more races; 23% Low income
We made our way to the new crossing that stops the traffic on Rt 6, otherwise referred to as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. I never knew what that meant. The road was named for the veterans of the Union army, navy and marines who fought in the Civil War. Thank you to the MA state highway system for a pedestrian crossing on a dangerous road. We continued to note the lack of sidewalks on our walks, and even when one was present, it was not well cared for.
At Fort Hill we took in the breathtaking scenery of the Cape Cod National Seashore: 68 square miles Created in 1961 by President Kennedy, including ponds, woods and 40 miles of seashore. This forward-looking environmental policy has provided generations with access to a national park- our beloved seashore. We made our way to the Skiff Hill overlook. The story boards tell of the Native Americans who settled there, the European explorers including Champlain, and the ecological story of the marsh. A large boulder used as a sharpening rock by Native Americans provides a welcome rest stop for viewing and sitting (a family of four sat on it while we were there- I felt uncomfortable and wanted to ask them to move, but didn’t want to bother a mother and her three small children).
After leaving Fort Hill, we had a decision to make- it was already noon and almost 90 degrees with high humidity. Both of us were spent and although I wanted to make it to First Encounter Beach where the Pilgrims stole the Natives corn and disrupted graves, we both had been to the site several times before. Instead we continued to the Windmill on Rt 6 and crossed over to Salt Pond Visitor Center for the end of our day. We sat overlooking the pond (which I later dove into to revive myself) and recounted the day and our past six weeks of walks across Cape Cod. Two more to go! Next week we walk Wellfleet into Truro focusing on people of color in the arts, current issues and we will take in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay.
Thank you for reading along and please feel free to comment or be in touch to walk next week.
Peggy
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 6 : Health Care: physical, psychological and spiritual health
Towns: Dennis, Harwich, Chatham 14.5 miles
We began at 7:30 a.m. at the start of the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Dennis. Lauren was reliably present again, and Rita, a nurse in the Providence public schools, left RI very early to join us. We started with setting our intentions for the day: to focus on all aspects of health and the disparate impacts of racism on the health care model in this country. We honored the lands that belong to the people who came before us, the Wampanoag and other tribes, who kept sacred the earth and nature which supported the health of all peoples. We touched on the disparities in access to health care related to race and income and acknowledged our own privilege in the system as we walked from Dennis, through Harwich to Chatham.
We shared books and documentaries we have become aware of in the past several months to support our learning about racism. I spoke about a film I watched at the Woods Hole Film Festival last weekend as an excellent example of what one family can do to bridge the divide across the political differences in this country. REUNITED STATES of America documentary followed a conservative, white couple and their three children as they travelled across the US to have conversations with people holding different perspectives than they did. Their eyes opened to systemic racism in health care, the economy, housing, education and other areas. Through the personal connection with people and their stories, their hearts and minds were changed. They now think of people who hold different opinions as potential “allies” with every person having a role to play in reuniting this country. Their project was similar to my Cape Cod Camino Way project this summer- build awareness, seek out information, listen to others, be open to change, change!
of what one family can do to bridge the divide across the political differences in this country. REUNITED STATES of America documentary followed a conservative, white couple and their three children as they travelled across the US to have conversations with people holding different perspectives than they did. Their eyes opened to systemic racism in health care, the economy, housing, education and other areas. Through the personal connection with people and their stories, their hearts and minds were changed. They now think of people who hold different opinions as potential “allies” with every person having a role to play in reuniting this country. Their project was similar to my Cape Cod Camino Way project this summer- build awareness, seek out information, listen to others, be open to change, change!I had two responses to this film- the first was to ask the question: When were we ever “united”? When were people of color, indigenous peoples ever provided the same opportunities as whites? As we explored in the first walk, the establishment of our democracy included the institution of slavery. We have never been “united”. The second response was one of hope- that by seeking out information, listening to the stories, and being open to change we can bridge our divides. The film ends with two resources to check out: LISTEN FIRST and Bridge ALLIANCE. I will check them out.
After the first four miles in the rising humidity, we stopped near historic Harwich Center and heard information on health disparities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. I shared that I was fortunate to have a conversation last Saturday with Dr. Kumara Sidhartha from Cape Cod Health Care. “Dr Sid” as he is known supports a plant-based approach with food, helping patients understand that food is medicine and eating healthy supports all aspects of health. Dr. Sid spoke about the social determinants of health such as housing, employment, health insurance, language barriers, and cultural factors as impacting health for BIPOC. He described the double burden of malnutrition, where individuals living a poor community have higher rates of obesity. This stems from the poor nutrients and excess calories in the types of food available and the socialization to choose high calorie/low quality food. Also at play is the role of sugar as an addiction in our diets and the negative impacts of sugar on all aspects of health.
The information in the chart below provided by Dr. Sidhartha is important- COVID disproportionately impacts all People of Color:
In a short period of time, I found numerous articles and resources that supported Dr. Sid’s perspective on the factors impacting health. From the CDC website:
“Multiple factors contribute to racial/ethnic health disparities, including socioeconomic factors (education, employment, income) lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, alcohol consumption) and access to preventative heal-care services (cancer-screening, vaccination). Recent immigrants also can be at risk for chronic disease and injury, particularly those who lack fluency in English and familiarity with the US health care system….” I immediately thought of the meat packing industry in this country and the disproportionate number of people of color and recent immigrants who work on the line in the chicken and meat processing plants. They are considered “essential “ personnel. If our diets reflected a plant based approach to food we change the “food industrial complex” and the resulting negative impacts on People of Color.
One final initiative Dr. Sidhartha shared with me was the “Navigators” who function in the Cape Cod Health Care model. These staff work with patients to provide information and direct service on everything from temporary housing to food insecurity issues and health insurance information. They connect a patient with all forms of support needed to navigate the bureaucracy around access to resources to support all aspects of health. The Navigators seem to be a critical part of an effective health system.
The American College of Physicians offer much information online about the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. From their position paper in 2010:
“Social determinants of health are a significant source of health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. Inequities in education, housing, job security and environmental health must be erased if health disparities are to be effectively addressed.” “The health care delivery system must be reformed to ensure that patient-centered medical care is easily accessible to racial and ethnic minorities and physicians are enabled with the resources to deliver quality care. “
Statistics from “Racism, Inequality, and Health Care for African Americans by Jamila Taylor (2019)
More than 20 million people gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act. 2.8 million of them are African- Americans. However, the uninsured rate among African Americans remains at almost 10%
The average cost for health care premiums is 20% higher for African Americans when their average household income is less than whites.
African American women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women.
African Americans are more likely to die from cancer and heart disease than whites, and are at greater risk for the onset of diabetes.
African American children are ten times more likely to die by gun violence than white children.
After walking a few more miles we crossed Depot Road and came across several cranberry bogs, a horse farm, and the rural nature of Harwich. As we noted on earlier walks, the Cape Verdean presence on Cape Cod and with the cranberry industry was large in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cape Verdeans migrated here until the anti-immigration laws stemmed the flow in the 1920s, settling into East and North Harwich and the Pleasant Lake community. They fled drought and starvation at home and came to Harwich via the packet boats, known locally as the “Brava fleet” after the Island of Brava. Here in the U.S. they felt the racist and anti-immigrate attitudes but were less targeted because of their lighter skin, strong work ethic and a tendency to form tight communities apart from the white population. Eventually the number of descendants of Cape Verdean immigrants was 10 times the population of the islands themselves. Today there is a thriving connection between Cape Verde and Bridgewater State University where I work part time. The Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies has sponsored exchanges for students and professionals and hosted all three of the Prime Ministers of Cape Verde.
Returning to our theme of health, the three walkers discussed how we were staying healthy in the time of the pandemic and the resources available to us. As we were walking through Harwich I wanted to share a few comments from Amy Giaquinto, the founder of Personalized Fitness Solutions in Harwich. Amy is an example of a life-long learner, challenging herself and her clients to continue to grow physically, spiritually, and on issues of race and privilege. I interviewed Amy via email earlier in the week and share a few of her insights here.
“This is a stressful time, consciously and sub-consciously and focusing on self-care through general wellness and exercise is crucial to help manage stress and anxiety. When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which can help bring about feelings of joy, happiness and general well-being.”
“On both a physical and psychological level a strong core is vital. Your core, made up of not only your abdominal muscles but also your pelvic floor, lower back and glute muscles work together as a unit, vital to building a strong foundation. A strong core helps us to feel physically stable and strong, which in turn helps us emotionally feel more in control and empowered.”
“There is a lack of understanding and awareness, and it is our job to educate ourselves and to foster change….my hope is that we will all work together for change.”
Each week we encounter the presence of the Native Americans who thrived on Cape Cod before the white settlers arrived in the 1600s. Chatham has a rich Wampanoag history and current connection with the new wetu, constructed by Mashpee Wampanoag member David Weeden and his son Attaquin, behind the Atwood House. A current exhibit there, “Turning Point” tells the story of the Mayflower and the impact the ship’s arrival had on the native people living in the area.
HistoricChatham.org is rich with information about the history of the Wampanoags. For thousands of years they have lived in this area, staying near the shore during the warmer months and moving inland for cover in the winter, into a wetu similar to the one now found on the Atwood property. Prior to 1712 the town of Chatham was called the village of Monomoit, one of 67 villages of the Wampanoag nation. The current Route 28 was once the walking path for the native peoples to travel between what is now Orleans and Chatham. The Monomoyick people were hunters, farmers, and gatherers and fished the local waters. Their government and community were designed to create a balanced society between the natural world and one another.
er, into a wetu similar to the one now found on the Atwood property. Prior to 1712 the town of Chatham was called the village of Monomoit, one of 67 villages of the Wampanoag nation. The current Route 28 was once the walking path for the native peoples to travel between what is now Orleans and Chatham. The Monomoyick people were hunters, farmers, and gatherers and fished the local waters. Their government and community were designed to create a balanced society between the natural world and one another.The English colonists arrived with a grant from the King to inhabit the land. An uneasy peace existed for many years between the natives and the colonists, living in their separate villages. English men married Wampanoag women, including families such as the Nickersons and many others across Cape Cod. Many of the founders of the town of Chatham were in fact descendants of Native Americans. “They didn’t associate themselves with natives because a lot of times it was easier to not be identified as native, “ Weeden Said. “It was an easier life, to be accepted and assimilated if you didn’t identify, so that was a factor”. (Cape Cod times 6/9/20).
Entering Chatham center we stopped at Pilgrims Landing,a non-profit interspiritual center working at the intersection of spirituality, education and social justice, and is the home of the Chatham Labyrinth, established in 2010. Pilgrims Landing ( Pilgrimslandingcapecod.org) ) offers year-round educational programming and meaningful experiences for those on a journey toward a more peaceful, compassionate and just world. We were joined by five other walkers, including Wilderness for a second walk with her grand-daughter, Mary Ellen, and two members of the social justice group at the Center. Also speaking with our group was Danielle Tolley and Dawn Tolley, founders and family who with Anne Bonney, gave birth to the Center in 2013. Danielle provided information on the mission and plans for the Center and Dawn spoke to us about the heart and soul of the current work being done around social justice and resilience.
We then walked together to the Labyrinth in Chase Park. Anne helped us understand the meaning behind the labyrinth, its origins and some of the benefits of walking the path. She encouraged us to walk as individuals and as part of a group of seekers of understanding racial and social justice issues. We each walked the circuit at our own pace, and joined together for a debrief after. One participant said she didn’t know going into the labyrinth that she needed healing but that is what she felt from the experience. Another shared that even with the distractions from the noise nearby, it was an opportunity to reflect and be grateful. Everyone found it to be a powerful experience. Anne shared with us a blessing which included the phrase “May our longing for oneness, our prayers for circles unbroken, be heard and honored here”. For the full blessing please go to chathamlabyrinth.com
Extra: Please check out the comments by Rev. James David Matters of Faith Column 6/28 CC Times; Much needed advice and support for spiritual health! evensongministries.com
Our walk concluded by visiting the Atwood Museum grounds to see the wetu by the Weedens, which was similar to one we saw on Week 2 at the Mashpee Wampanoag museum. Many of us plan to return to see the new exhibit at Atwood on the Mayflower and the connections to the Wampanoags. We walked the mile back to Pilgrims Landing via Oyster Pond and relished the Chatham breeze pushing us onward.
Speaking of onward, our walk next week is our sixth one of the summer and will start in Brewster and take us through Orleans up to the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham. We will look at the connections between the Brewster Sea Captains and slavery and focus on the environment and conservation through the Seashore. Please feel free to check back on Monday for the route and meeting places. Please note we are starting at 7:30 am due to the heat and will conclude early afternoon. Please also tune in to Facebook Live on Friday at 10am for a summary of the Harwich-Chatham experience with additional details and observations to share. Thank you!
Blessings, Peggy
COMMUNITY COUNTS: Week 5 Don’t just stand there: Do something!
In his 2017 book Across That Bridge, John Lewis, the Civil Rights hero who died last Friday, wrote, “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
Amid all the passionate words poured out by a heartbroken nation in the days since Lewis’ death, my heart was touched most deeply by his own words – challenging us to DO something – not to hope, or even to pray, though those actions may bring comfort, but to do our part to create the change we want and need.
The quote also brought to mind a refrain I’ve heard frequently since George Floyd’s murder brought on our current national convulsions toward racial justice. Or rather, a refrain I’ve heard from white people: “I want to do something, but I don’t know what.” Or variations thereof.
As noted in my column last month, we may gain some sense of accomplishment by showing up at public programs and protests, by speaking up among friends and co-workers, or by – ahem – writing columns about the enormity of the problem. But at the end of the day, it’s the hard work of systemic change that must take place, and how do we do that?
Peggy Jablonski, an educational consultant of Brewster, found one answer to that question. She had hoped to spend part of her summer hiking El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Known popularly as the Camino, it actually comprises numerous pilgrimage routes ranging from 60 to over 600 miles. It is walked or biked by growing throngs of people seeking spiritual growth and insight, or a host of other purposes. The Camino has been traversed by pilgrims and seekers since the Middle Ages.
Obviously, Peggy’s plans were thwarted by the pandemic. Like most of us, as she absorbed the shocking impact of the Coronavirus, she was also moved deeply by the outpouring of rage and demands for change sparked by the murder of George Floyd. She too was gripped by the question: “What can I do?”
In part, Peggy Jablonski came to the realization that her education about the history of people of color in these United States was impoverished, to say the least. In our schools, we learn little about the accomplishments of Black and Native people, nor about the misdeeds of Whites in relation to racial justice.
Jablonski decided to expand her own education, and perhaps that of others, by creating her own Camino right here on Cape Cod. Minimal research revealed that the Cape encompasses dozens of locations, historical markers, and educational opportunities to learn about struggles for justice and the histories of African-American, Cape Verdean, Wampanoag and other peoples of color here on this fragile peninsula. So she designed her own Camino – on eight Wednesdays in July and August, to walk the length of Cape Cod while focusing on these histories in plain sight but little known.
On the first Wednesday, July 8, the walk traversed both sides of the Cape Cod Canal, and the second, July 15, the Shining Sea Path, a seaside road first carved into the landscape by the Wampanoag people along Buzzards Bay. Each week focuses on particular themes, developed through advance reading and enhanced along the way by visits to historical locations and talks with local experts.
This past Wednesday, the route went from Mashpee to Hyannis, including visits to the Wampanoag Museum and the Zion Union Heritage Museum, including talks with local NAACP leader and Zion Museum Director John Reed and some of the artists whose work is displayed there. Next Wednesday, the walk begins at Cape Cod Community College and continues to Yarmouth and Dennis, focusing on education, poverty and food insecurity.
Peggy invites participation in any part or all of the rest of her pilgrimage. For more information, search on Facebook for “Cape Cod Camino Way” and ask to join the group. You’ll see abundant detail about the pilgrimage thus far and plans for the remaining Wednesday walks, as well as other activities through the last walk on Aug. 26 and additional discussions, both in person and via Facebook live. All in-person activities require masks and social distancing.
Don’t just stand there. DO something!
Kathleen Schatzberg is a former president of Cape Cod Community College. Her company Bearwell Strategies specializes in writing, editing and pet care. Her monthly column chronicles community building on Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Camino Way Project: Week 2
Cape Cod Camino Way: Week 2 Falmouth to Woods Hole
I am beginning to realize that the Cape Cod Camino Way is like a mini-series of eight shows, each requiring preparation, content, background, routes, logistics, engaging company, good weather, and stamina. Thankfully, I had all of these for Week 2, with the focus on women and people of color in the science fields. Over the course of almost 5 hours, we walked the Shining Sea bike path, with a detour into Falmouth Center and along the beach, taking in the variety of signs along the way and statues of two famous women.
Each week I prepare an itinerary for the walk that includes quotes from relevant writings, songs, poems, prayers, etc. I want to make the walk inspirational for anyone who joins me and for those of you following via the blog or the Facebook page. I chose to focus this week on the contributions of women and people of color in science due to the myriad of research and science-based institutions in Woods Hole.
At the beginning of the Shining Sea Bike Path in N. Falmouth I discovered that I left my notes for the event, with all the quotes and songs on the kitchen table. Even though I planned and prepared for the day ahead, I needed to improvise with what I could remember, and pull up on my phone. I took at deep breath and stepped off with Lauren to start the day. We shared our intentions for the walk paying tribute to the Native lands we would travel.
Within 2 miles I rolled onto my right ankle, fell left onto my hip and sustained road rash on my leg. Shaken up a bit, I took a sip of water and relaxed into the moment. “Be more aware of your surroundings, let go of your disappointment about forgetting your notes and everything will be ok” I whispered to myself. I got up, dusted off, and stepped forward into the peaceful woods and bogs surrounding the path and the Sippewissett Marsh we passed through.
For the next few miles, Lauren and I talked about the challenges of being a woman in a non-traditional field such as science. I shared the story of my sister in law, Jillian McLeod, professor at the Coast Guard Academy, one of the only Black women in the country with a PhD in theoretical math. Her work on equity and inclusion at the CGA is making a difference in the education of thousands of students. For a diversion, we discussed one of our favorite places to travel: Ireland! I told her stories from my ten trips to Ireland, including one of a missing front tooth and golfing over 50 times in the Emerald Isle. We were transported to the west Coast of Ireland, similar views with bogs and
inlets we were walking. When will we be able to travel internationally again? We also talked about good books, and I shared a current favorite: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Trained traditionally as a botanist, Kimmerer brings the lenses of her Native Potawatomi background and ecological consciousness to understand the earth and her plants. She weaves together her science background with deep wisdom from indigenous knowledge. For both enlightening and engaging summer reading, treat yourself and others to a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass.
Prior to the walk, I spoke with Claudia Womble who is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the 5 other major institutions in Woods Hole to implement the recommendations from the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Report by Robert Livingston. The Woods Hole Diversity Initiative seeks to implement a plan for recruitment, retention and accountability around all aspects of diversity and inclusion. In front of the Falmouth Library at 11 am, a group of us met with Donna Mock-Munoz de Luna, from the Marine Biological Lab and the Diversity Initiative, for a conversation about women in science. Why is it important to have various backgrounds and perspectives represented in our research organizations? View the video to hear Donna, Patricia Pinto D’Sliva from NOAA, and Lilli Feronti, a 14 year old Falmouth activist speak with us about opportunities and challenges for women and people of color in the sciences.
In front of the Falmouth Library stands the statue of Katherine Lee Bates, the author of the song “America the Beautiful”. Not many statues of women exist on Cape Cod, and I wanted to find out more about her and another famous woman, Rachel Carson, whose statue would be at the end of our walk in Woods Hole. Hence the name of this blog.
Our group of six discussed the original song, originally written as a poem in 1893 after Bates, born in Falmouth and a professor at Wellesley College, traveled across the country and was taken by the scenery. Bates’ original poem extolls the pilgrim’s march for freedom across America, with the phrases:
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
This struck me odd, and left me questioning what exactly did this mean? Given that George Floyd was just killed in a brutal fashion, pinned down under a police officer’s knee, this begged a question- what did she mean?
The final stanza of the original poem also said this:
“America! America!
God shed His grace on thee.
Til nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!”
What does this mean? Why was that removed from the next two versions of the song? Why had I never heard that before? I immediately thought of white supremacy, and restoring America to a “whiter” jubilee. I could be completely off base, and I wanted to explore this more and could not find further references to meaning of the original work.
I did discover however, a revised version of America the Beautiful by the cast of Hamilton. Here are a few stanzas from that song (found on Youtube):
Let America be the dream it could be.
Land of Liberty with no false patriotic grief.
Opportunity is real and Life is Free.
Equality is in the air we breathe.
But there has never been equality for me,
Nor freedom for me in the home of the free…
America, America
God shed His grace on thee.
Who lives, who dies, Who tells your story?
Walking along the shore from Falmouth to Woods Hole with Lilli, her sister and mom, and two others, was a change of scenery and spirit. The young people with us were full of hope, energy and inspiration for the future. We talked of opportunities for girls in college and careers in a variety of fields. To walk with powerful young people working for change, becoming more aware of social and racial justice issues was the highlight of my day.
As we arrived at Woods Hole a doe came onto the path to greet us. In this time of COVID, the natural world seems more alive and filled with surprises. We completed the walk in Woods Hole, with a photo in front of the Rachel Carson statue. Carson was an American marine biologist who advanced the global environmental movement and influenced the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, currently under assault by the Trump administration. We celebrated our time together with a nourishing lunch, and a sense of gratitude about our day together. Even without my map and notes, the day emerged exactly as it should have.
Cape Cod Camino Way Week 3: The Wampanoags, The Arts and People of Color, Zion Heritage Museum
Towns: Mashpee, Cotuit, Centerville, Osterville, Marstons Mills, Barnstable, Hyannis, 14 miles
This walk was the most difficult to map out due to the road system and lack of sidewalks along the way. For about 4 miles, we walked on busy streets, in the rain, with no sidewalks and cars and trucks whizzing by us leaving a trail of mist and road dirt. Lauren and I stopped to consider that our route today was a symbol of what has been experienced by of people of color and Native Americans for generations: always facing a head wind, a storm, an uphill climb. We used the analogy to brace ourselves and continue to make progress over our 14 mile route.
We began the day in the sun at the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum, which was closed, but provided a perfect setting out back with a canoe and wetu that provided the setting for us to talk about the People of the First Light. In the wetu, we saw how the natives lived on and from the land, using bark of elm trees for “shingles” on their circular home. Inside we found the remnants of a fire, and a few quahog shells. I chose the quahog or clam shell to represent the Camino Way, as the Wampanoags used the quahog for food, as wampum, or beads for trading, and for jewelry. Just like the Camino Way in Spain, we have a shell to represent the Cape Cod Camino Way.
The Wampanoags have occupied the same region in the Northeast for over 12,000 years and have faced the diminishment of their homelands since colonization. The Mashpee tribe currently has approximately 2600 enrolled citizens. Today the Wampanoag Tribe is seeking action by Congress to protect their homelands and designation as a federal tribe which has been threatened by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Trump administration.
A few facts that we considered that morning:
- Before the Pilgrims arrived, traders from Europe brought yellow fever to the Northeast coast and 2/3 of the Wampanoag nation (estimated at 45,000) died.
- When the colonists, the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod in 1620, the Wampanoags were settled in Southeastern MA, the Cape, Eastern Rhode Island and Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
- In 1655 Harvard opened the Indian College to educate Indian youth and convert them to Christianity.
- In 1675 over 40% of the tribal population was killed in King Phillips War (between the colonists and the Native Americans) and large numbers of healthy males were sold into slavery. Some women and children were also enslaved by colonists in New England.
- In 1685 Plymouth Colony confirmed a deed to tribal leaders of 25 square miles of land and subsequently appoints guardians to limit the Tribe’s independence. Ironically, the King of England sided with the Tribe and Mashpee is recognized as a self-governing Indian District.
- In the Boston Massacre in 1770 Crispus Attucks, a Wampanoag is killed. Many Wampanoags fight in the American Revolution on behalf of independence.
- By the mid 1800s the Massachusetts legislature revokes the Tribe’s governing authority, and in 1869 members of the Tribe are made citizens of the state. In 1870 the MA Legislature conveys 5000 acres in tribal ownership to create the town of Mashpee.
- The Wampanoags cultivated varieties of the “three sisters” (Maize or corn, beans, and squash) as the staples of their diet, with fish and game as supplements. They had a matrilineal system, in which women controlled property and hereditary status was passed through the maternal line. They were also matrifocal, meaning a married couple went to live with the woman’s family. Women elders approved the selection of chiefs or sachems. Women had socio-political, economic and spiritual roles in their communities.
As Marie and Lauren and I reflected on this history that we had heard little of in the past, we were reminded that “victors tell the story”. We don’t know that the first peoples in these united states were matrilineal- it would take generations for women to be able to inherit money or property under the democratic republic that the Europeans established. Where would we be if women held a more equal role in the new republic? If women were true partners in the democracy? Where would we be if we shared the land with the Wampanoags instead of taking by force or coercion what was not our ancestors to take? What do we still owe the First Peoples?
ue partners in the democracy? Where would we be if we shared the land with the Wampanoags instead of taking by force or coercion what was not our ancestors to take? What do we still owe the First Peoples?Lauren and I walked on in the rain that had started, following Rt 130, a main road with lots of traffic driving too fast in the rain. We were splattered with road grime and the mist clouded her glasses. After a stop under the awning at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, we spoke about what is in our art museums on Cape Cod. How much art truly reflects who was here, or is currently here? The Cotuit Center in “normal” years offers a range of programming and provides music, theater and visual arts in several towns including underserved, low-income and at risk youth. As the Center plans to reopen soon, we hope they take this opportunity to expand their thinking around what themes are presented in the Center, what stories are told, and incorporate voices of Indigenous and People of Color. As we passed the Cahoon Museum we also questioned the bright blue paint on the trees out front- how can they breathe? As we just saw how the Wampanoag used the trees for their homes, and treated nature with respect, it seemed incongruous to us that someone would paint the trees.
Our gathering point at the Armstrong Kelly park brought additional walkers and a rest stop to feature a tribute to John Lewis, civil rights legend who passed away this week. Two poignant quotes from Mr. Lewis:
“You are a light. Never let anyone- any person or any force- dampen, dim or diminish your light. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, and peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.”
“Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
We read a poem by Nikkie McLeod, my sister in law’s sister, a Black poet and musician in NY City who was with us in spirit. We walked on to Craigville beach with conversations between the various group members, including my 6 year-old niece. We supported each other’s quest for engagement with the place we were walking and the people we were with. We walked by some of the most expensive real estate on the Cape, mansions and acres of property abutting Nantucket Sound, cared for by an army of landscapers and caretakers.
At one point we stopped in a driveway to allow some members to take a break. A landscaper from across the street ventured over and asked what we were doing? There we were a group of five white women, one white man, one Black woman and her biracial child. Why was someone crossing the street to ask us what we were doing there? Did he want to provide us directions or assistance? Three of us had on the purple Cape Cod Camino Way tee shirt. We looked like a walking group. I thought it was “no big deal”. My brother questioned his motive on behalf of the group, and his wife. They are used to being questioned. They are used to being seen as “different”. I walked on in silence thinking about what just happened and how it impacted him and my sister in law differently than me.
Stopping at the beach to refresh and pick up another walker, Linda, we made our way for the next 3 miles into Hyannis. For the first time on our walk we saw a few Black Lives Matter signs. What did this mean? Why had we not seen them through some of the other towns? Why did we see Ron Beatty signs back in Mastons Mills with BLM spray painted on them? The level of discourse in our country, and even here on Cape Cod, is fractured and angry in tone. When is anger justified? When is civil disobedience?
The final stop on Walk 3 was the highlight of the day: the Zion Heritage Museum tour with John Reed, the Executive Director, Pamela Chatterton-Purdy creator of the Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, and David Purdy, Board Member. Our group of walkers were provided a history of the founding of the Museum and the story behind the creation of the Icons, including current icon of Travon Martin. John’s stories of the experiences of people of color on Cape Cod, in particular in the Hyannis area were poignant, mirroring the same issues we read about daily in the national news. Blacks being stopped for no reason by the police. Blacks being followed in stores. Blacks not being on Rt 6A after dark. Issues of justice, economics, health care.
Pamela’s personal story was moving, a white couple with biracial and black children. We were curious about a connection to the current BLM movement, the current struggles playing out across the country. What inspired her to use a traditional medium to portray 40 people and events of importance in Black history and civil rights? I was grateful for her presence and willingness to speak with us 1-1 and tell the stories of the Icons.
I was drawn again to the art of resident artist Robin Joyce Miller who chronicles the life of African Americans from slavery, the “Middle Passage” to the inauguration of Barak Obama. Her use of a traditional medium of quilting creates a beautiful tapestry for story-telling. Her artwork of Langston Hughes poetry is stunning. I want to know more. I encourage everyone to tour this gem in Hyannis and learn more of the culture and story of our people of color on this peninsula.
What inspires us to continue to learn the story of people of color on Cape Cod? I ask each of us to answer that question and follow this journey by joining a walk if you can, even for a mile or two, or follow this Facebook page and blog each week to hear about the issues and resources available right here on Cape Cod. Join us each Saturday morning at 9 for a Facebook Live chat about our week’s learning. These walks are proving to be an inspiration for me, as well as a prod for further exploration and action.
Note: My sister Marie provided the logistical support to our walkers today: My brother, Steve and sister in law Jillian, niece Laurel, Friends Lauren, Linda and Wilderness, and joining us at the Zion Museum, Lilli Feronti and Kathleen Schatzberg. A hearty group, with Lauren along for the third time, and braving the rain for over an hour on a busy stretch of Rt 130 and 28. Thanks to everyone who participated and made this a special day for our family!
Cape Cod Camino Way Project. Week 1
Blog Post: Walk 1 Cape Cod Canal
Step by Step
Watching the rushing water flowing through the Canal, I feel the current pulling me downstream to see what is around the bend. The Canal unfolds slowly to reveal its true nature. I believe that will be true of exploring Cape Cod by foot, one step at a time. To be on a pilgrimage is to go on both an inner and outer journey. So begins my walks around Cape Cod during the summer of 2020. I choose to use this time during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore racial and social injustice right here on the Cape, as well as undertake my own work to deepen my awareness of my privilege and the connected responsibility to both make and support change. I stand at the end of the Canal near the Sandwich marina with three other white women and think about the weeks ahead: I will be walking to touch each town on the Cape, with an open heart and inquiring mind, to see beneath the surface of our beautiful, tranquil peninsula and understand more fully what life is like for Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). My sister Marie is here with me, and I am grateful for her support today and all days.
l and social injustice right here on the Cape, as well as undertake my own work to deepen my awareness of my privilege and the connected responsibility to both make and support change. I stand at the end of the Canal near the Sandwich marina with three other white women and think about the weeks ahead: I will be walking to touch each town on the Cape, with an open heart and inquiring mind, to see beneath the surface of our beautiful, tranquil peninsula and understand more fully what life is like for Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). My sister Marie is here with me, and I am grateful for her support today and all days.I start today with a blessing: to acknowledge the lands on which I will walk belong to the native peoples, the Wampanoag. May I honor those who have walked these lands before me. May I be open to listening and reflecting through a process of inner and outer exploration. May I be changed, my commitment to eradicating social justice strengthened and my work around anti-racism informed for the future.
Reflecting on my first walk a few days later, what did I see and hear that enriched the experience and my learning?
- We explored our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to ask important questions about life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
- What rights exist for all peoples? What rights are denied?
- When did Black, Indigenous and People of Color give their consent to be governed- when their lands were taken from them? When they were in chains in slavery?
- “All men are created equal”. If the use of the term “men” in 1776 included all people as it normally did that would mean women and those enslaved and the natives who were here before the Europeans colonized these lands would be covered by that term. Why does “men” sometimes mean all people, and in the case of our founding Declaration only mean white, privileged men?
The Declaration of Independence declares the people have the right to abolish the government when it becomes destructive to the preservation of their rights. Isn’t that essentially what people all over this country and the world are protesting about in 2020? At another rest stop, I read part of the essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones, “The Idea of America” from the 1619 Project in New York Times Magazine. www.pulitzercenter.org/1619
Slavery started in Virginia, 157 years before our Declaration of Independence. It was ingrained into the foundation of American colonies with the labor of Black and Brown people providing the “machinery” to fuel the fortunes of white America that continues to this day. “The United States is a nation founded on both an ideal and a lie…the white men who drafted those words did not believe them to be true for the hundreds of thousands of black people in their midst.” It took a violent civil war to end slavery. What we have not done as a country is truly reckon with the legacy of slavery that continues to exist today in every aspect of our lives: our economy, health care, housing, employment, education, government and so on. We walked into a headwind for the morning, stopping to watch the herons catch fish and share our stories related to democracy. I thought about how BIPOC are always walking into a headwind, being judged through unconscious bias and discriminatory practices inherent in our systems. We caught up on each other’s lives along the way and would pause as the church bells tolled or a ship when by. I was reminded that walking the Canal on a beautiful day in the middle of the week is a privilege that many people don’t have due to the demands of work and family. At one point in the conversation, near the Aptucxet Trading Post, we talked about the protests going on around the country and how terrified we were to see what happened in Washington DC- a president clearing the plaza in front of a church through violent means for a photo opportunity with a Bible. I share with my friends how watching that night unfold on tv had a profound impact on me. I went down to the beach and created a video of me stating the Preamble to the Constitution, and that we are an imperfect constitutional democracy not a dictatorship. I posted it on Facebook to take a stand.
ng judged through unconscious bias and discriminatory practices inherent in our systems. We caught up on each other’s lives along the way and would pause as the church bells tolled or a ship when by. I was reminded that walking the Canal on a beautiful day in the middle of the week is a privilege that many people don’t have due to the demands of work and family. At one point in the conversation, near the Aptucxet Trading Post, we talked about the protests going on around the country and how terrified we were to see what happened in Washington DC- a president clearing the plaza in front of a church through violent means for a photo opportunity with a Bible. I share with my friends how watching that night unfold on tv had a profound impact on me. I went down to the beach and created a video of me stating the Preamble to the Constitution, and that we are an imperfect constitutional democracy not a dictatorship. I posted it on Facebook to take a stand.“We the people, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Crossing the Bourne Bridge late morning to walk the Sagamore side of the Canal found me above the Canal looking out to Buzzards Bay and wondering about the lived experiences of all people who call Cape Cod home. We gathered at the park near the railroad bridge and reflected on Frederick Douglass’ address on July 5, 1852 “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” We listened as his descendants spoke Douglass’ truths:
“I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mind. You may rejoice, I must mourn…”
pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mind. You may rejoice, I must mourn…”The powerful and passionate voices of the children who recited these words resounded deeply within me. My friend Linda and I continued our walk to Scusset Beach, a shared history of over thirty years in higher education together. We reflected on what has changed, and what is left to be changed. We spoke of 2020 as a time like 1968 and the early 1970s, where people across the country are doing the work to change our institutions and ourselves. We spoke of our roles over three decades as mentors and sponsors of others, people of color and white, and reminded ourselves that we need to continue to do more now. We reached the end of the Canal and celebrated our accomplishment of 13.5 miles with a yoga pose, Warrior II. I’ve taken a photo of Warrior poses on many of my travels, and the strength, grounding and rising up from the core of one’s being symbolized our first walk today. Remain open to the experience.
Please join us for any of the next 7 walks on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Each walk will highlight different places, people and historical connections to broaden our perspectives. As one participant said this week “I never walked the Canal before and the opportunity to reflect on these issues while walking is a gift”.
“Walking is the best way to get out of your head”. Phil Cousineau
Eight Principles for a Restorative Retreat in 2020 (even just 24 hours!)
Too busy to take time for R and R? Too many meetings, projects, family demands, mind-numbing news cycles? Creating space in your scheduled life to retreat and reflect (as well as relax and rejuvenate) can be a true challenge but a fabulous gift to yourself. And you deserve it! Once you give yourself the space, 24 hours or a full week or more away, the benefits will build exponentially.
To create the opportunity to expand into a new decade from a place of awareness and choice is a powerful commitment to yourself. Try starting with just 24 hours, incorporating as many of the 8 principles outlined below as you desire. Then in another month or two, expand to a weekend. After 6 months, commit to a 4-7 day retreat for yourself. This is a good way to build momentum toward positive self-care and awareness.
1. Stillness. Use the 24 hours to not “do” much of anything related to the outside world, which includes family and all electronics. Try spending time with simple pleasures, cooking a healthy meal, meditation, suing a sauna or taking a long bath, and walking for at least an hour in nature.
2. Sleep. Adequate sleep is the foundation for all health and wellness. Prepare yourself and your surroundings for a full night’s rest.
3. Movement. Paradoxically, move during your stillness period. Move your body slower than normal- if you run, then walk instead, especially in nature. Move your body to increase your oxygen flowing to all your organs, including your brain.
4. Read. Instead of reading your email, news, or Facebook, read a novel, poetry, or a biography of someone you admire. Take a break and escape into a good book.
5. Nature. Being in nature is therapeutic for our minds, bodies and spirits. We are reminded of the wonder and beauty in the natural world and in our connection to the world around us.
6. Nurture. Practice self-care (think massage, yoga, warm bath) not self-indulgence. Simple mind/body awareness from breathing and centering practices found online at OM.org or Yoga Journal will inform your self-care.
7. Nourish. Eat clean. By eliminating hard to digest processed foods, filled with chemicals, your body will thank you. Try eliminating wheat, dairy, meat and sugar for a few days around your retreat and notice any differences in your body.
8. Gratitude. Use some of your 24 hours to give thanks to yourself, your family and friends, co-workers, spiritual leaders and influential mentors and guides in your past. Consider sending a card to one or two of these people to thank them for their impact on your life.
Through the use of one, many or all of the 8 essentials for a retreat experience, your will provide the environment for restoration of your mind/body/spirit. Before you dash off a dozen goals for 2020 or for the decade ahead, consider downshifting with the R and R practices here to inform your “being” before you think about “doing”. I promise you, the outcome will look and feel different for you and enhance your life moving forward.
Happy retreating, reflecting and rejuvenating!