Since the late 19th century, affluent African Americans have built summer communities to rest, socialize, and expose their children to a positive vision of black life. Some resorts, like Idlewild, Michigan; Cape May, New Jersey; and Fox Lake, Indiana, have fallen into decline.

But other locations, including Sag Harbor, Long Island; Highland Beach, Maryland; American Beach, Florida, and perhaps the best known, Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, continue to attract growing numbers of African Americans of means.

A Place of Our Own will examine the history, significance, and changing landscape of the African American resort community on Martha’s Vineyard and its significance in the life of filmmaker Stanley Nelson.

Freedom Bags, produced by Stanley Nelson and Elizabeth Clark-Lewis, is the story of African-American women who migrated from the rural south during the first three decades of the 20th century. Hoping to escape from the racism and poverty of the post-Civil War South, they boarded segregated trains for an uncertain future up North. Having had limited education, most could find jobs only as domestic workers.

With spirit and humor, the women remember their tactics for self preservation in the homes of their employers, where they often faced exploitation and sexual harassment. After hours they relished their independence and enjoyed good times with friends and family. Their stories are interwoven with rare footage, still photographs, and period music to create a portrait of the largest internal migration in U.S. history. The film places these personal stories within the historical perspective of the Depression Era and the founding of Social Security and domestic unions in this tribute to the domestic worker. These were proud women who kept their dignity and sense of worth through difficult times.