Queer Activist Preston Mitchum on ‘Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard’
Even though summer isn’t officially here yet, it’s unofficially kicked into high gear on Bravo TV with the cable network’s premiere of Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, a new series that follows a group of 12 friends as they enjoy their island getaway in Massachusetts.
Of course, like most of Bravo’s programming, this reality series has a heavy dose of drama. The major difference is that we’re excited to see a cast of young Black professionals and entrepreneurs vacationing and having fun at beach parties, decadent dinners, and enjoying some downtime on the island.
You may not know it, but Oak Bluffs, a town on Martha’s Vineyard, and Inkwell Beach were and still are popular travel destinations for Black travelers. During the Jim Crow Era of the 40s and 50s, places like Oak Bluffs were extremely important as many African-American families, salesmen, athletes, and entertainers traveled more during a time when road trips became more popular. Many of these travelers relied on Victor Hugo Green’s The Negro Motorist’s Green Book, a travel guide that provided a list of safe havens and Black-owned businesses, like the Oak Bluffs Inn.
So, now that you have a little history about the significance of Martha’s Vineyard, here’s the scoop about the TV series. After their summer wedding, Jasmin and Silas Cooper invited a group of friends to vacation with them in Martha’s Vineyard. Hailing from LA to DC and as far away as Germany, the group includes Amir Lancaster, Jordan Emanuel, Bria Fleming, Alex Tyree, Shanice Henderson, Jason Lyke, Summer Marie Thomas, Nicholas Arrington, Mariah Torres, and Preston Mitchum.
To be honest, we’ve got our eye on Mitchum, who is a Black queer activist and attorney from Washington, DC. He’s not only Silas’ fraternity brother, but he’s known for speaking his mind about a variety of things.
Mitchum has an extensive resume. He’s an Adjunct Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC., and he was the first openly LGBTQ Chair of the Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
The former prom king is also the Founder and Principal of PDM Consulting, a multi-purpose consulting firm focused on the power of Black people, LGBTQ+ people, and young people. Recently, he served as the Director of Federal Advocacy and Government Affairs at the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ+ youth.
As mentioned before, Mitchum is an activist. In 2021, he was voted Washington, DC’s Most Committed Activist by Washington Blade readers and runner-up in 2022. He has appeared on cable news shows as a contributor, and his work has been published across countless media outlets for his political and legal expertise, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, BET.com, The Root, and Advocate.
Mitchum has been to the Vineyard before and considers it one of the most amazing and beautiful places that he has ever seen. While at the Summer House, he said he missed his partner of two years, but he was excited to spend summer on the Vineyard with newlyweds Jasmine and Silas Cooper.
Two episodes of Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard have aired, and we can already tell that Mitchum is one of the level-headed guests so far. We’ll be watching the drama unfold over the next few weeks.
Watch the Bravo TV series “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” on Sunday at 9 pm EST or catch a new episode each week streaming on Peacock! Get a taste of the Vineyard and check out the trailer of #SumerHouseMV below!
