Juneteenth Week Celebration in the Gullah/Geechee Nation

Gullah/Geechee Nation ♦ June 17, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

In solidarity with our family in Texas including those of the island of Galveston and those called “Black Seminole” and “Afro-Seminole” who are part of the Gullah/Geechee Diaspora, we celebrate Juneteenth annually. We continue to remain dedicated to this celebration of freedom in spite of the fact that many of our annual in-person events where we sound the drum will not take place for 2020. We pray that you will join us the entire week to celebrate virtually.

If you missed the live broadcast that started off the week, please tune in to Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio for “Juneteenth Justice:” https://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee/2020/06/15/juneteenth-justice

In this powerful broadcast, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) recounts the history of the celebration and shows the connections to this moment in a call for Black solidarity in the movement to fully obtain justice, equality, and equity.

The call that Queen Quet issued on Monday will continue on Friday, June 19, 2020 at Noon via the “Hunger for Justice” Juneteenth Virtual Celebration sponsored by “A Growing Culture.” Queen Quet will deliver “A Drum Call for Justice” as we continue to take a stand for land!

Register at www.agrowingculture.org/HFJ .

Cum beat de drum fa freedum wid we and tek a stand fa land!

The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.GullahGeechee.net) and the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association (www.GullahGeecheeFishing.net) continue to stand for land and continuing Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage on the land and in the sea. One of their many allies is Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank member, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. On Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 3 pm EST, the Executive Director of SCELP, Amy Armstrong will be the featured guest on “Zooming in on Sustainability” that Queen Quet hosts weekly and gets reaired on Gullah/Geechee TV (GGTV) www.GullahGeechee.tv. They will discuss the on-going legal battles to sustain Gullah/Geechee land and the environment.

Given that the Gullah/Geechee Famlee was unable to come together for Juneteenth at the Jepson, they will support the Virtual Juneteenth Lecture on Thursday, June 18, 2020 from 5-7 pm EST. This lecture will feature Sister Vaughnette Goode-Walker (historian, operator of Footprints of Savannah, and museum director) and Dr. Alvin Jackson (co-founder and President, Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center). Ms. Goode-Walker will address why we celebrate Juneteenth in Savannah, GA in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and discuss secret schools operated in the city before Emancipation. Dr. Jackson will discuss the Willow Hill School, founded in 1874 by formally enslaved individuals in Portal, Georgia. After operating as a school for 125 years, the site was saved by former students and descendants and is now a museum and community resource center. In order to tune in, you can register at: https://www.telfair.org/event/virtual-juneteenth-lecture/ .

The Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s leaders continue to stand for land and for the relinking of the Gullah/Geechee Diasporic Famlee. So, in addition to celebrating Juneteenth, we also continue celebrating “Caribbean American Heritage Month.” This year, Queen Quet and Elder Carlie Towne of the Gullah/Geechee Nation will be part of the Charleston CariFest Virtual Summit at 7 pm EST on Thursday, June 18, 2020.

Folks can tune in at https://www.facebook.com/NiteCapMedia

In the midst of all of this, we cannot forget the children. For 20 years, Queen Quet has presented at the Colleton County Memorial Library for the summer reading program. This year, she is looking for the largest crowd that she has ever had since the celebration will be virtual. Tune in on Thursday, June 18, 2020 at or after 10 am EST to www.GullahGeechee.tv . Queen Quet will share from one of her two new children’s books and will educate the entire family about our coastal environment and cultural community.

The week of celebration will conclude with Queen Quet on Quarantunes live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1814076242068751/ Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 7 pm EST in celebration of “Black Music Month” and the songs of inspiration and freedom that have carried us through other times of trials and protests.

De Gullah/Geechee Nation gwine keep fightin fa freedum fa tru een all we duh do. We wan hunnuh fa jayn we tuh!