#GullahGeechee Giving Tuesday

Gullah/Geechee Nation ♦ May 5, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

Annually non-profits throughout the United States receive donations on the first Tuesday in May as part of an effort to sustain their missions. In most of the cases, whatever funds that they raise on #GivingTuesday will be matched dollar for dollar by a larger foundation.

Due to the shutdowns caused by COVID-19, the events that the Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s organizations host annually and those that they were hosting in celebration of their 20th anniversary have been shutdown as well. This resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars that would have assisted crafts, visual, and performing artists and that would have assisted with the major fundraising efforts of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Gullah/Geechee Angel Network being lost. These two entities work consistently in collaboration to insure that Gullah/Geechee will be able to continue to sustain their landownership and keep their cultural heritage alive on the Sea Islands and in the Lowcountry from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL.

In the midst of these shutdowns, all Gullah/Geechee Nation events have been either cancelled or postponed postponed because the venues and Gullah/Geechee owned and operated venues are still closed. Queen Quet‘s annual #GullahGeechee fundraising and awareness world tour was stopped due to the health safety concerns, global shutdowns, and cancellations of events. Some Gullah/Geechee owned and operated venues may not be able to reopen after months of closures in the midst of the pandemic. Given that intergenerational operations of these facilities, it is not safe for them to reopen to the general public without a vaccine being available. Yet, the destructioneers that are seeking to build and further disrupt the environment in the area are still hosting meetings with county officials to get things passed in their favor while the public cannot even attend meetings in county chambers since the doors are closed for safety. What is unsafe it the continued attack on this cultural community in a time of global vulnerability. So, the Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s leaders are calling on all of our supporters to assist with contributing to and sharing the on-going “Gullah/Geechee Land & Legacy Fund” link during #GivingTuesday on May 5, 2020:

https://www.gofundme.com/gullahgeechee-land-legacy-fund

For those that do not want to give donations online, please email GullGeeCo@aol.com for the mailing address or other mechanisms by which to financially support the work to keep the land in the Gullah/Geechee Nation in the families of native Gullah/Geechees and to keep our environment healthy for our community to continue to live on and sustain ourselves.

The counties did not delay nor reduce land tax payments and Gullah/Geechee families are now also facing preparation for the coming hurricane season. The Gullah/Geechee Land & Legacy Fund assist with the distribution of Gullah/Geechee preparedness kits annually. This year, we are seeking to add to those kits corona safety masks, gloves, and literature as well. If our people are not safe and healthy, we have no nation and no legacy. So, we pray that you will literally help to save the lives and land of the Gullah/Geechee. Fa disya we say, tenki tenki.

https://www.gofundme.com/gullahgeechee-land-legacy-fund