Coastal Carolina University will host their second “Gullah Geechee Community Day” on Saturday, February 26, 2022 in downtown Conway. The event will feature performers, storytellers, speakers, film screenings, craft exhibits and workshops, a history harvest, and cooking demonstrations. SC Humanities supported this program with a Mini Grant.
Gullah Geechee Community Day highlights the significance of Gullah Geechee cultures and the wider African diaspora to both Horry and Georgetown counties. “Gullah Geechee” refers to the descendants of enslaved individuals, predominantly from West Africa, who retained many of their African traditions and cultures because of the relative isolation of their plantations from the rest of the world. This festival is the last day of an international conference that concentrates on Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora (IGGAD), hosted by the Joyner Institute Gullah Institute at Coastal Carolina University, filled with presentations, readings, and performances.
Gullah Geechee Community Day runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at a variety of venues in Conway such as the Horry County Museum, the Horry County Memorial Library, the Horry County Historical Society (Bryan House), Conway City Hall, The Hut First United Methodist, and the Town Green. The Conway Visitors Center at 5th and Main will be the location of the Vendor and Craft Market.
A sampling of the planned events include:
10:30 a.m.: State of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Horry County Museum Auditorium
Moderator: Victoria Smalls
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Archaeology and Remnants from Our Enslaved Pasts
Conway City Hall
12 p.m.: Aunt Pearlie Sue – Performance
Horry County Museum Auditorium
12:00 p.m.: Reflections of a Geechee Woman’s Southern Journey: Preservation Project of Family Heirs Property over 100 Years
Horry County Historical Society (Bryan House)
Sandra Lseibu, Independent Author, Spoken Word Artist, and Oral Herstorian
1:30 p.m.: Documentary Film Screening of Between the Waters
The Hut First United Methodist Church
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Preserving the Past and Purpose of Spirituals
Horry County Museum Classroom
The full schedule is available here: https://gullahgeecheeday.com/schedule/.
The event website also provides helpful information about locations and directions, a list of vendors, and other detailed information: https://gullahgeecheeday.com/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 21-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
