Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association Celebrates 11th Anniversary
On March 11, 2010, the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association was founded in Beaufort, SC by St. Helena Island, SC natives Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association founding members, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Joseph Bradley, Samuel R. Brown Jr., Herbert Simmons, Keith Ellis, Hook Reynolds, Joseph Holmes, Ed Atkins, and Ricky Wright.
Over the last decade, the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association has continued to host “Gullah/Geechee Famlee Days” and the “Gullah/Geechee Seafood Festival” in order to raise awareness about the battles they are having to maintain their subsistence fishing traditions while being penalized for “fishing while Black.” They have successfully fought against seismic gun testing and offshore drilling as well as against the building of a luxury resort on an area that is traditional fishing ground.
The mission of the Gullah/ Geechee Fishing Association is
- to advocate for the rights of Gullah/Geechee and African American fishermen and fishery workers of the southeast.
- to share traditional fishing methods with the next generation.
- to restore access to the areas and factories needed to sustain the seafood industry in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and southeastern United States.
They have continued to pass on traditional fishing methods to the next generation via intergenerational learning gatherings done in collaboration with the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition. They also work on coastal conservation and preservation efforts on a consistent basis. Some of this work is captured in the soon to be released documentary series, “Gullah/Geechee Gwine Fishin‘:”
The Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association is one of the central organization of the Gullah/Geechee Rising SEA-Sustainable Equity Alliance-initiative. Tune een fa yeddi bout disya:
Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association members have been featured in media due to their work advocating for a healthy environment and nature-based traditional knowledge solutions to climate change:
https://www.wjcl.com/article/gullah-geechee-see-climate-change-firsthand/35787975
Tenk GAWD de Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association still da cass a wide net and drawin een mo chillun fa hold pun de culcha.
Happy Anniversary Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association!
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- Tagged: cultural heritage, Ed Atkins, environment, environmentalism, fisheries, foodways, Geechee, Gullah, Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association, Gullah/Geechee Nation, Queen Quet, seafood, traditional knowledge