Saving Gullah Homes for

Gullah Familiespage 19

De ConchWha Gwine On 2016 Edition

New Release by GwenYvette!

page 17

Gullah/Geechee INDIGO Project

page 4

!Support the Gullah/

Geechee Fishing Association!

page 5

Wading to the Shores of Success !Thanks to Oceana for supporting the grassroots efforts that galvanized into a tremendous win for the east coast of the United States! Community leaders from all walks of life came together to lobby and petition the United States government to stop oil drilling from taking place on the east coast. They stopped this from continuing to be a part of the federal plans that are under way. !!!Just as the win started

to be cele-brated in the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) who was one of the ocean heroes honored as part of the effort learned that seismic guns can still be used in the Atlantic Ocean. She and the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition are now petitioning against the use of seismic guns since this was not excluded from oil exploration plans along the coast. The Gullah/Geechee Nation blog covered this issue some time ago: !https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2015/02/05/gullahgeechee-alert-stop-permits-for-seismic-gun-ac-tivity-off-our-coast/ !The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and Oceana are now calling on supporters of the Gullah/Geechee Nation to sign the petitions that will be presented to President Obama to request that his administration also insures that there will not be any use of seismic guns off the east coast. Please email GullGeeCo@aol.com for a copy of the petition so that you can sign and return it. !Tenki Tenki fa standin wid we fa protect de watas ob de Gullah/Geechee! !

*** Tune in to Gullah/Geechee TV (GGTV) for coverage of the “Coastal Voices Summit” and Queen Quet’s message regarding this successful campaign to protect the Atlantic Ocean and our coast: !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MGT4vjHztA !!

!Clementa Pinckney Heirs Property Uniform Partition Act

Passed in South Carolina! !Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio has had several

broadcasts focused on heirs property http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee.

Recently, the Allen Family of Hilton Head Island, SC started the #4DennisMovement which Queen

Quet brought to the airwaves of the show. !!During the episode, Professor of Law Thomas W. Mitchell who was the reporter (principal drafter) of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act discussed the fact that the law was then on the floor of the South Carolina General Assembly. The law has since passed in South Carolina and has been signed into law! !Learn more about the act here: !http://gullahgeecheenation.com/2016/03/17/holdin-pun-gullahgeechee-land-heirs-property-uniform-partition-act/ !March 10-12, 2017, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition will sponsor a land workshop on historic St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Professor Mitchell will be a keynote speaker for the event. Details on registering for the conference will be released during “Gullah/Geechee Reunion Day” at the Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ 2016. The theme of the festival is “A Celebration of Self-Determination.” Gullah/Geechees have been able to remain self-determined and self-sustaining due to their continued land ownership. So, this new act will truly enhance the beating of the drums at this international celebration! !Tenk GAWD fa disya! !!!

Gullah/Geechee INDIGO Project!!The Gullah/Geechee Inspiring Natural Design in Gullah/Geechee Outdoors (INDIGO)™ Project will be an intergenerational art project based on historic St. Helena Island in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. The Gullah/Geechee have a historic connection with Sea Island cotton and indigo both through the hardships of chattel enslavement and the richness, warmth, and protection from them as textiles and quilts were created by Gullah/Geechee women over the generations. Just as indigo adorns many Gullah/Geechee doorways, the textiles and designs that will emerge from this project will adorn those that wear each piece as they enter the Gullah/Geechee Nation and exit taking with them a product that will assist in continuing the living legacy-Gullah/Geechee.!!A series of creative workshops based on the Sea Island environment and Gullah/Geechee tradi-tions will be held led by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and artist-in-residence Monique de la Tour. Products from these workshops will become part of the St. Helena Gullah/Geechee Collection of the landmark St. Helena Branch Library.!!Fundraising for the Gullah/Geechee INDIGO Project was launched during the “Coastal Cultures Conference 2016.” Please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVpdb02hFs to learn more about the effort.!!

Email GullGeeCo@aol.com or go to the link below to provide financial support for the project. Tenki Tenki!!!

www.gofundme.com/GullahGeecheeINDIG !!

Support de Gullah/Geechee Fishin Famlee!

This painting was created after Monique de la Tour met with fishermen on St Helena Island and learned of the challenges they are facing affecting their traditional way of life. Over-fishing by large commercial trawlers and operations are depleting the area of marine life - negatively impacting Gullah/Geechee fishermen. This image came to her mind after hearing their story. Fishing has been a way of life for the Gullah/Geechee people for as long as they recall. They maintain strong cultural traditions, still making their fishing nets by hand as their ancestors do in West Africa. !A portion of proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition. Learn more about the organization and the great work being done to ensure the Gullah/Geechee people and their culture continues to thrive @ www.gullahgeechee.net. The artwork will be professionally packed and shipped, with insurance, and will come with a signed and dated Certificate of Authenticity. The buyer is required to sign an Artists Contract with Moral Rights attached (before art is shipped). (This means the buyer is not permitted to reproduce the image in whole or any part, physically or digitally, for financial gain. The contract also states the Artist retains the right to permit the use of a digital image of the artwork for Gullah/Geechee fundraising efforts. !

http://beautifulindifference.weebly.com/store/p5/The_St_Helena_Fishermen.html !!

Wha Gwine On !Every Monday at 7 pm EST Tune in to “Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio!” Disya da we sho!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee ******* May !

De Gullah Root Experience Tour will be conducted for groups throughout the month of May. Bring hunnuh group or famlee and jayn we! www.gullahgeechee.us or www.gullahgeechee.net !

******* May 14 at 8:30 am South Carolina Aquarium Climate Change Discussion and Film at Penn Center The SC Aquarium is partnering with the Medical University of South Carolina, SC ETV, Allen University and the U.S. Department of Energy will host a community meeting about climate change. Participants will be introduced to climate change through the film “Climate Change: A Global Reality,” according to a release from the aquarium. !To RSVP by May 9 go to http://pico.library.musc.edu/CLIHelena.php !For more info go to http://www.scaquarium.org/townhalls http://www.scetv.org/blog/etv/2016/south-carolina-entities-taking-bold-steps-affect-climate-change !Memorial Day Weekend the Gullah Festival at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation !May 31 at Noon St. Helena Branch Library welcomes world weightlifting champions, CJ & Omar Cummings. The Cummings Brothers will depart from this event for Olympic trials.

"A massacre kept secret for over 100 years. Now the truth will finally be revealed."!Speller Street Films’ Christopher Everett and several of the people seen in the powerful documentary, “Wilmington on Fire,” a documentary about the 1898 massacre will be there at the showing of the film at the “Party with a Purpose” for the opening of the “Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ 2016” (www.gullahgeechee.info), Following the screening, the director and cast members will share their experiences on making the film and bring a unique perspective on the 1898 massacre and its impact today. Doors will open at Scott’s Grand in North Charleston at 6 pm on Friday, August 5, 2016. !The Wilmington Massacre was a bloody attack on the African-American community by a heavily armed white mob with the support of the North Carolina Democratic Party on November 10, 1898 in the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. It is considered one of the only successful examples of a coup d'état in the United States that left countless numbers of African-American citizens dead and exiled from the city. This event was the spring board for the white supremacy movement and Jim Crow segregation throughout the state of North Carolina and the American South. “Wilmington on Fire” gives a compelling historical and present day look at this event showing how the violent overthrow of an existing government not only cemented white supremacy in the city of Wilmington and the state of North Carolina but also throughout the United States of America.!Purchase tickets NOW at !

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gullahgeechee-nation-international-music-move-ment-festival-2016-a-celebration-of-self-determination-tickets-24979182407

!http://www.facebook.com/wilmingtononfire • @wilmington1898

!

!Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association Holdin pun de Fishin Tradition!!!

The Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association (www.gullahgeecheefishing.net) was founded in Beaufort County, SC on March 25, 2010 by Queen Quet, Ricky Wright, the late Herbert Simmons, Joseph Bradley, and Keith Ellis who are all natives of St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. These founding members were quickly joined by Gullah/Geechee fishermen and women from other parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in the mission to !!1) To advocate for the rights of Gullah/Geechee and African American fishermen and fishery workers of the southeast !!2) To share traditional fishing methods with the next generation!!3) To restore access to the areas and factories needed to sustain the seafood industry in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and southeastern United States!!The Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association members have actively worked with numerous national and international organizations during their five years in existence. Their work has been featured in profiles done by the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and CNN International to name a few. ! !During even numbered years, the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association members host, the "Gullah/Geechee Seafood Festival" on St. Helena or Hunting Islands. They will return to Hunting Island on October 22nd. Throughout each year, they have community celebrations to engage more Gullah/Geechee fishing families in their efforts. The next engagement for will be in conjunction with their partners of the US Fish & Wildlife Service during “National Fishing Week” in June. They will also host a series of "Gullah/Geechee Famlee Days throughout the year. For more information, call (843) 838-1171 or email GullGeeCo@aol.com. !!De Gullah/Geechee say,!!

"De wata bring we and de wata gwine tek we bak!”

Tenki Tenki ta all wha bin paat de “Coastal Cultures Conference!”

Hep Mo Angel fa Fly!

Support De Gullah/Geechee Angel Network!

!The mission of the official 501(c)3, non-profit of the Gullah/Geechee Nation,

the Gullah/Geechee Angel Network is

To preserve, protect and promote the cultural heritage of the Gullah Geechee People who have lived in the southeastern portion of the United States of America from North Carolina to Jacksonville Florida 30 miles inland (known as the "Low Country") for over 300 years. To connect all people, not just in the 50 states, but internationally throughout the Diaspora, Europe, Caribbean and Africa.

Goals and Objectives are achieved by the implementation of the following seven (7) point program:

The Performing Arts: Musical plays, dramatizations, poetry, storytelling, enactments and workshops

Arts and Crafts: Workshops in the production and displaying of traditional Gullah/Geechee cultural items. Demonstrative workshops that encourage the development of functional skills and forms of expression to potential-ly showcase and stimulate direct participation in the growing ethnic tourism industry, festivals and cultural events.

Educational: The establishment of Cultural Learning Centers designed to foster motivation, achievement and cul-tural enrichment. Historical/Research excursions from the tip of North Carolina (Cape Fear) to the outlining areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

Scholarships and Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award programs and events recognizing those persons who have given selflessly of themselves, and have done considerable work for the benefits of their particular community as it relates to cultural preservation. Awarding Scholarships to youth who exhibit talent, and are oriented toward developing skills which foster Gullah/Geechee Culture.

The Internet and The Media: Networking with organizations, institutions and groups which focus on Gullah/Geechee Culture. Consistently present positive role models and activities to the low country in particular, and to in the Diaspora in general.

Production, Preservation and Documentation: Production and archiving of Gullah/Geechee video and audio recordings, books, symbols and banners. Radio, television and computer production programming.

Health and Nutrition Awareness: Forums and symposiums which explore lifestyles, food staples, food cultiva-tion and preparation of Gullah/Geechee cuisine, as well as developing holistic programs to promote well being.

Yenna House widout a doubt!

The Gullah/Geechee International Camp Meeting Center & Yenna House will host a number of activities and people from around the world and educate people on the living traditions of that exist throughout the Gullah/Geechee Nation. The major fundraiser for the project will be the Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ www.gullahgeechee.info.

For more details on fundraisers, tours, assisting with the project, or contributing, call

(843) 572-6788 or go to www.gullahgeecheeangelnetwork.com

.

1. Gullah/Geechee Nation Headquarters www.officialgullahgeechee.info or www.gullahgeecheenation.com

2. Gullah/Geechee Nation on Instagram http://instagram.com/gullahgeechee

3. Gullah/Geechee Angel Network www.gullahgeecheeangelnetwork.com

4. Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition www.gullahgeechee.net

5. Gullah/Geechee TV™ (GGTV) www.youtube.om/AMPTurnItUp

6. Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee

7. Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association www.gullahgeecheefishingassociation.com

8. Gullah/Geechee Nation Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/GullahGeecheeWeBe/

9. Gullah/Geechee Folks on Twitter www.twitter.com/gullahgeechee

10. Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee www.QueenQuet.com

11. Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ www.gullahgeechee.info

12. Gullah/Geechee Doula Association http://www.gullahgeecheedoula.com/

13. Gullah/Geechee Nation on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/gullahgeechee/

Links to Gullah/Geechee Living Culture

!The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition is the premiere organization on the protection and continuation of the Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, and culture. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition:

• advocates for the protection of the human and land rights of Gullah/Geechee

• promotes and participates in the continuation of Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, culture, and language.

• works toward Sea Island land re-acquisition and maintenance. !• celebrates Gullah/Geechee culture through artistic and educational means electronically

and via "grassroots scholarship." !The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition has successfully carried out this mission since 1996. During which time, they developed the ONLY archive in the world which is TOTALLY dedicated to Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, and culture. The Gullah/Geechee Alekbulan Archive is being upgraded in order to continue to provide access to artifacts, images, documents, books, films, and recordings to future genera-tions of Gullah/Geechees and global researchers. The Coalition host hundreds of students and professional writers each year and it also supports native Gullah/Geechee speakers and presenters traveling to other parts of the world to make sure that accurate presentations on our culture are done in a varied array of venues. !We are calling on all supporters of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition to become dues paying members and to contribute to the “Gullah/Geechee Gold Souls Campaign.” The funds will assist with the completion of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition Center. Please use the form at the end of this ezine or go to http://fnd.us/c/07Wl6 in order to financially contribute to the fundraising efforts that are currently under way in order to finalize the second phase of archival digitization and artifact preservation. !The “wish list:” !• New Apple Mac Pro Desktop or Laptop Computer • 10 Mac Compatible 2T and higher External Drives • Acid free archival boxes of all sizes and types • Apple server • 1 poster holder• DVC/HI8/VHS to Digital Converters

For details on how you can host a fundraising event, contribute in any or in all of these ways, please email GullGeeCo@aol.com.

Disya bout geeing frum de soul fa mek sho de richness stay een wi black gold!

GULLAH/GEECHEE GOLD SOULS CAMPAIGN

New Release by GwenYvette

St. Helena Island’s own songstress, GwenYvette has released her long awaited song, “So in Love” for online downloads at

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gwenyvettegwendolynmckin

and

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/so-in-love-bonus-track-single/id1082939364

Tune in to the Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio interview with GwenYvette: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee/2016/03/28/womens-herstory-month-love-of-de-gullahgeechee-ooman

and also check out her new music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=FwD15uE0X4o

You will be able to purchase your own autographed copy of this new smooth groove at the

Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ 2016 where GwenYvette will be the featured musical artists for the year. Get your tickets now at

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gullahgeechee-nation-international-music-movement-festival-2016-a-celebration-of-self-determination-tickets-24979182407

Queen Quet & De Gullah Cunneckshun CDs are available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon music &

more around the world! Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and her Gullah/Geechee histo-musical performance troupe, De Gullah Cunneckshun are not only making their way around the world in person, they are also doing this via digital downloads! CDs can be purchased at www.gullahgeechee.biz and the CDs are now available on numerous digital music sale sites around the world. Ef hunnuh wan yeddi, gwine ta disya pun CD Baby:

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/QueenQuetDeGullahCunneckshun

Disya da Gullah Roots Productions™

Saving Gullah Homes for Gullah Families Project!!The historic Gullah/Geechee owned homes on Daufuskie are at risk of being lost without your help.! !!!

The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation developed a program where the Gullah/Geechee homes that are still standing on Daufuskie Island can be renovated and retained by the owners for future income. Tune in to Gullah/Geechee TV (GGTV) coverage of this project and learn how you can support this project and how you can also spend a night in the first home that has been fully restored.! !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUR7A7x3QVY!!!Please make a donation to this project that is helping the Gullah/Geechee families of Daufuskie to hold on to their family homes for future generations:!!

https://www.gofundme.com/savinggullahhomes!!!Tenki Tenki fa hepin we keep de Gullah/Geechee famlee propertee!

GULLAH/GEECHEE SEA ISLAND COALITION

Post Office Box 1207 St. Helena Island SC 29920

I am enclosing my check for!!_____ $45 for the year of membership!!_____ $300-999 supporter (Pledge amount can be sent in monthly installments)!!_____ $1200 for lifetime membership!!_____ $___________ toward the Gullah/Geechee Gold Souls Campaign!!My check is written to the !Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition. I know that I will receive a newsletter, event announcements, and will be a subscriber to the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Roots Listserve and will also receive discounts on Gullah/Geechee products. !!!!

Mail this to !!Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition!

Post Office Box 1207!St. Helena Island SC 29920!!

Name: ! _________________________!!Address: ! ______________________________!! ______________________________!!Telephone:! ___________________ ! ! ! (Day) ! ! _______________________________ ! ! (Eve or Cell)! !!

What island are you closely connected to? ________________________________!!How?(Circle one) !! ! Family Business! !E-mail address: ________________________________!!Where did you receive this? ________________________________!!What would you like to see done by this organization?

Join the GULLAH/GEECHEE SEA ISLAND COALITION www.gullahgeechee.net

© May 2016 Gullah/Geechee Nation!

© May 2016 Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition !

ALL rights for photographs and articles are reserved. !

Republishing should not be done without consent from the Gullah/Geechee Nation.