Georgia university receives $500,000 grant to preserve Gullah Geechee heritage

A new $500,000 Mellon grant will allow Georgia State University to develop archival, historical and cultural research to protect Gullah Geechee heritage and communities in Georgia and South Carolina. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of formerly enslaved west Africans who were forced to work across the coastal southern United States. After the emancipation proclamation, the Gullah Geechee decided to remain in their own lands, which now make up what is formally known as the Gullah Geechee corridor, spanning from North Carolina to Florida. The fight to maintain Gullah Geechee lands continues today, with people awaiting to hear the Georgia supreme court’s decision in a case that could ensure the preservation of one of the last intact Gullah Geechee communities. Gullah Geechee people are also working to preserve their cultural traditions and language and to ensure those are passed down to coming generations.