Malaga Island is Meltingpot History

Mixie History in Maine: Malaga Island

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I hope everyone had a colorful Fourth of July, if that’s your thing. I spent a lovely weekend celebrating a whole bunch of family achievements, from engagements to college graduations. We were in Buffalo, New York for the weekend, so we also took a moment to visit Niagara Falls. That was gorgeous.

It’s because we were on the road that this post is coming to you two days late and I apologize. I know many of you show up here on Monday morning looking for tasty new Meltingpot treats so it must be crushing to find last week’s post still hanging around. Shame on me!

A headline from the newspaper detailing the fate of the people from Malaga Island.
A headline from the newspaper detailing the fate of the people from Malaga Island.
No fear, I’m back. And with such an interesting story to share. I can’t take any credit for discovering it, but I am taking it upon myself to spread the word. Last week I mentioned in my post about Mat Johnson’s new book Loving Day, that I learned something new about Mixie History. What I learned was that there was a Mixed Race community that lived in the late 19th and early 20th century on an island off the coast of Maine called Malaga Island. The island was inhabited by Blacks, Whites and Mixed Race people living together despite the rest of the country’s fierce appreciation for segregated living, loving and learning. What happened to the people who lived on Malaga Island and their way of life is a tragedy that would have been forgotten if not for a pair of curious journalists who decided to tell their story in a very public way.

Please check out the website dedicated to telling what happened to the people of Malaga Island and remember that America’s history has never simply been a story of Black and White.

Have any of you ever heard of Malaga Island and what went on there? If so, how’d you hear about it? I’m totally listening.

Peace!

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