Monthly Archives: May, 2017
Beaufort County Bookmobile is Ready to Roll So More Folks Will Read!
Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) is a Friend of Beaufort County Libraries. She is proud to see the return of the bookmobile to St. Helena Island! The community will have an opportunity to “Meet the Bookmobile” at library branches before beginning its summer route on Monday, June 5. Check it out at the following locations:
Lobeco Branch Library – Thursday, June 1, 11:00-3:00pm
St. Helena Branch Library – Friday, June 2, 11:00-3:00pm
Hilton Head Branch Library – Saturday, June 3, 11:00-3:00pm
Harriet Tubman Monument Ground Breaking Ceremony in the Gullah/Geechee Nation
Tune in to the Gullah/Geechee TV (GGTV) historic ground breaking ceremony for the Harriet Tubman Monument which will be placed at the Tabernacle Baptist Church campus in Beaufort, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Honoring de Ooman Souljah een de Gullah/Geechee Nation fa Decoration Day
In honor of Memorial Day which is “Decoration Day” in the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation honors the legacy of Suzie King Taylor and Harriet Tubman who served at Camp Saxton in Port Royal on the island of Port Royal in South Carolina during the United States Civil War.
Gullah/Geechee Nation’s Black Music Month on Historic St. Helena Island Launches with the Sea Island Sounds Celebration
June is “Black Music Month.” This annual celebration in the Gullah/Geechee Nation will begin at the St. Helena Island Community Market with the “Sea Island Sounds Celebration” on Saturday, June 3, 2017 featuring songstresses, Mahoganee and GwenYvette. Both of these dynamic singers will be releasing new songs and the audience at the celebration will be the first to hear them at the Dr. Martin Luther King Park on historic St. Helena Island on that day. The event begins at 10 am and ends at 3 pm.
“Black Beach/White Beach” Brings to the Big Screen the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s “Black Pearl”
Filmmaker Ricky Kelly has put together an outstanding new documentary, “Black Beach/White Beach.” “Black Beach/White Beach” tells the historical journey of the formation of the “Black Pearl” of the Gullah/Geechee Nation during segregation and leads you up to the on-going battle to rebuild the town and its reputation.
The “Black Pearl” is the historic Atlantic Beach Township which is north of Myrtle Beach. Although Atlantic Beach did not receive incorporation from the state of South Carolina until 1966, Gullah/Geechees owned the land on the Atlantic Ocean prior to that and started to use it as a gathering place in 1934. They opened motels, restaurants, and night clubs and by 1936 pleasure boats were anchoring at the township where Black folks could come and enjoy themselves.
Lupus Awareness Day the Gullah/Geechee Way!
May 19th is “Lupus Awareness Day” which takes place annually during May which is “Lupus Awareness Month.” On May 10th which was “World Lupus Day” the Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank partners at the Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) MUSCLE program held “Lupus Patients Day.” On an on-going basis, they work with people to determine whether or not they have lupus and if they do, they can remain a part of the MUSCLE program and work toward finding a cure for this chronic autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body.
The Gullah/Geechee Nation’s leaders are concerned about lupus and have been looking at the preventative measures that can be taken by examining environmental and dietary triggers amongst their people. This is a major concern because lupus occurs two to three times more frequently among African Americans, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans than among Caucasians.
Beyond Tourism Week in the Gullah/Geechee Nation
The U.S. travel and tourism industry generates approximately $2.1 trillion per year. So, it is no surprise that there is actually a “Tourism Week” celebrated. In South Carolina, Gullah/Geechee culture is often highlighted at the I-95 North Visitors Center in Hardeeville, SC. However, in most cases, Gullah/Geechee culture is not highlighted, it is hijacked!
The massive amount of tourists that come to the Gullah/Geechee Nation annually believe that by driving through and taking photos and then staying in a hotel or camp ground over night, they have supported the Gullah/Geechee people. They even end up often duped into spending funds at “historic sites” and plantations that have Gullah/Geechee listed on their websites and shots of sweetgrass baskets on their brochures to only find out that there are no Gullah/Geechee people that own that site. There may be one Gullah/Geechee person or a few that work there, but beyond their salaries, there is no economic support going to the citizens of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Gullah/Geechee Nation Celebrates Bike Month!
May is “National Bike Month” and the Gullah/Geechee Nation is joining in the celebration! Not only are the leaders of the Gullah/Geechee Nation encouraging people to participate in “National Bike to Work Week” May 15-19, 2017, they are encouraging Gullah/Geechee and Black bike riders to cycle and cruise down to the St. Helena Community Market in the Dr. Martin L. King Memorial Park on historic St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation on Saturday, May 20 between 10 am and 3 pm for “Gullah/Geechee Bike & Beauty.”
#MyNameMatters: Queen’s Chronicles: Black Herstory Journey of a Gullah/Geechee
My Gullah/Geechee upbringing causes me to be adamant about respecting peoples’ titles and calling them by the appropriate names. So, when I am looking into the eyes of other women of African descent, I want to know their names. I find that when I am looking into images of ancestors, that urge to know their names is even greater.
Harriet Tubman Statue to be Erected in Beaufort, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation
Join the Beaufort Gullah/Geechee Famlee at the “Gullah Lowcountry Dinner Theater” on Friday, May 26, 2017 at 5:30 pm. This event will feature a presentation by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) entitled “Hallelujah Harriet: Mother Moses and de Gullah/Geechee.” The entire event is a fundraiser for the Harriet Tubman Monument which will be placed at Tabernacle Baptist Church Campus. Advance tickets are on sale. The ground breaking ceremony for the monument will take place on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 10 am and is free and open to the public.