by Gabriel Guzman
To deny yourself the opportunity to learn about your heritage is to deprive yourself of learning who you truly are. To better understand black history, The University of West Georgia’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) recently hosted an evening filled with celebration and culture. With the support of Africana Studies and African American Studies Minor, the department presented the Gullah Geechee Gathering in honor of Black History Month. The event served as a reminder that black history is not limited to just one community.
Gullah Geechee is the name of African people who live mainly in the coastal regions of the United States, all the way from southeastern North Carolina to northeastern Florida. They are an African-based culture that thrives on preserving their traditions.
“They are a group of individuals who have been able to retain the heritage and culture of the Gullah people,” said UWG Center for Diversity and Inclusion Director Deirdre Rouse. “I really respect and admire people who are keepers of a dream, keepers of a culture, because it’s really important to know where you came from in terms of history.”
After a brief introduction, the evening continued with Sista Bithiah, who demonstrated a welcome dance and song – with a little help from the audience. Shortly after, Bethany Campbell displayed a glimpse of the Middle Passage by seeking members of the audience to play roles of village leaders, each with a special skill. Audience members played these roles in hopes that they would have a better understanding of the journey taken by slaves in the slave ships that traveled from West Africa to the West Indies.
“Gullah Geechee people are forever,” said Pat Bacote, who spoke at the event. Bacote, alongside her husband Jim Bacote, are founders of Geechee Kunda, an organization in Riceboro, Ga., dedicated to keeping the culture alive. “Gullah Geechee came from a culture that was already established in Africa. These names came about because of who they are and where they are from. The traditions we retain are ethnic customs normally found in Africa. Most of the Gullah Geechee people came from West Africa, the rice culture.”
The program was accompanied by the Gullah Geechee Rain Shouters, a group of women belonging to the Gullah Geechee community who sing and dance as part of a spiritual tradition.
The celebration closed with Dr. Amir Toure performing an African Spirit-Day Cleanse. Gullah Geechee has contributed to the economics of the South, allowing Savannah, Ga., to financially flourish into the city it is today. They have impacted American life, especially the Southern lifestyle, through agriculture, spiritual science, culinary arts, entertainment and literary traditions. The founders and preservationists have kept the Gullah Geechee heritage alive and well, and they are making it their mission to continue the legacy.
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