Malaga Island, located off the coast of Maine, holds a fascinating and tragic history that is intertwined with issues of race, poverty, and displacement. The story of Malaga Island is a poignant reminder of the hardships faced by marginalized communities.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Malaga Island was home to a racially mixed community of fishermen, laborers, and their families. Many residents were of African American and mixed-race heritage. They lived in small, close-knit communities and relied on fishing for their livelihoods.
However, in the early 1900s, the state of Maine, influenced by the prevailing eugenics movement and discriminatory ideologies of the time, saw this community as undesirable. They believed that the residents of Malaga Island were unfit to live there, and their homes were considered substandard.
In 1912, the state of Maine evicted the residents of Malaga Island, forcibly relocating them to the mainland. Their homes were demolished, and their community was dismantled. This tragic event was a result of prejudice, discrimination, and a desire for so-called social improvement.
The story of Malaga Island serves as a painful reminder of the injustices faced by marginalized communities throughout history. In more recent years, efforts have been made to recognize and preserve the memory of the people who once called Malaga Island home, acknowledging the wrongs of the past and attempting to bring some closure to this dark chapter in Maine's history.