Happy Anniversary to the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition! Celebrating Environmental Victories!

Gullah/Geechee Nation ♦ December 21, 2018 ♦ 2 Comments

The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.GullahGeechee.net) was the first organization in world history to contain “Gullah/Geechee” in its name.  Since they started their work in 1996 under the leadership of the founder, Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine (www.QueenQuet.com), they have successfully managed to get “Gullah/Geechee” as one unit into the vocabulary of the world instead of the use of “Gullah” or “Geechee” separately.   This is part of one of the many seeds that Queen Quet who coined the phrase

“Hunnuh mus tek cyare de root fa heal de tree.”

has planted around the world as she continues to lead the fight for Gullah/Geechee land and human rights.

• advocates for the rights of all Gullah/Geechee people around the world
• promotes and participates in the preservation 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 consist of members and a set of global partners and supporters.  Amongst these are the Gullah/Geechee Angel Network, the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Committee of Northeast Florida, and the Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank.  These entities have had a very successful year combating a number of environmental issues that the Gullah/Geechee Nation is faced with including climate change, sea level rise, seismic gun use, and offshore drilling.

The environmental work that the Gullah/Geechee Nation is engaged in is precedent setting and their traditional knowledge is becoming more and more valuable in the circles of people seeking ways to deal with the global climate change challenges.  As a result of this, there have been two successful campaigns to support Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and Directorate member of the International Association for American Minorities (IHRAAM) attending United Nations events including COP22 in Morocco, the UN Oceans Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, and the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, CA.   Her presence and presentations at these major international events garnered a number of media articles focused on the Gullah/Geechee Nation which are detailed below:

COP22

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article110386502.html

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/11/02/former-us-slave-nation-heads-to-marrakech-climate-summit/

Global Climate Action Summit

https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/09/21/ocean-climate-change/

Climate Change Rally

https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2018/09/climate-change-jobs-justice-summit-gullah-geechee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD-LHMp5k0s&t=5s

Offshore Drilling Protest

https://cleanenergy.org/blog/coastal-environment-and-culture/

https://usa.oceana.org/blog/coastal-voices-part-5-queen-coast

https://www.greenvilleonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2017/04/20/gullah-community-worries-about-potential-offshore-drilling/100696684/

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/queen-quet-and-gullah-geechee-nation-say-no-offshore-drilling

http://www.wltx.com/news/local/hundreds-gather-in-opposition-of-offshore-drilling-1/518443070

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/anti-drilling-rally-draws-a-few-hundred-

to-south-carolina/article_3b1c23e0-10e1-11e8-9a7d-f3eec31f51e5.html

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060100373

Climate Change

https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/10/25/gullah-geechee-nation/

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/26/climate-change-threatens-traditions-of-indigenous-people-national-climate-assessment/

Sea Level Rise

https://blog.ucsusa.org/guest-commentary/gullahgeechee-nation-surviving-and-thriving-as-the-sea-rises

https://www.alternet.org/community-slave-descendants-protecting-unique-food-traditions-rising-seas

https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/11/rising-seas-storms-threaten-gullah-geechee-land/

Hurricanes

http://silicamag.com/journal/climate-v-culture/

Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association (www.GullahGeecheeFishing.net)

https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/11/14/celebrating-seafood-heritage-gullah-geechee/

Queen Quet (www.QueenQuet.com)

https://fupaper.blog/2018/09/24/meet-queen-quet-one-of-our-only-alumni-to-become-a-head-of-state/

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/12/29/our-climate-heroes-of-2016/

http://forthewild.world/listen/queen-quet-on-the-survival-of-sea-island-wisdom95?rq=queen%20quet

The Gullah/Geechee Nation is dedicated to continuing to produce numerous events that will educate the community about how to sustain cultural heritage in the face of climate change and to find means by which to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 with the rest of their global partners.  Ideally, these goals can be met by the conclusion of the International Decade of People of African Descent which the citizens of the Gullah/Geechee Nation have been proudly celebrating.  This United Nations declared decade has given the Gullah/Geechees an opportunity to further engage with others around the world seeking to learn more about and to reunite those of the African Diaspora.   The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition will continue to be in the forefront of supporting and promoting these endeavors and fighting for the human and land rights of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. 

Tenk GAWD de Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition still gwine on!