Tag Archives: St. Helena Island
Purposeful Planning of the St. Helena Gullah/Geechee Multipurpose Center
Thirty years ago, I made a conscious decision to ensure that St. Helena Island would be the base of operations for the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition which is the oldest organization in world history that has “Gullah/Geechee” in its name. When I founded, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, one of our missions was to ensure that authentic Gullah/Geechee culture would be supported not simply verbally but politically and financially. So, I am sure that the ancestors that were fighting to protect St. Helena from being destroyed by a four to five lane highway expansion and against what I consider “destructionment” were smiling when the Beaufort Open Land Trust purchased the parcel of land at the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Polowana Road in order to secure it for the St. Helena Island community. That parcel could have been a supermarket, the library location or the post office location since all of these were proposed in the past. Now there is a feasibility study being done for this to be the location of the St. Helena Island Gullah/Geechee Multipurpose Center which many natives of St. Helena Island requested years ago.
Gullah/Geechee Famlee Weekend een de Gullah/Geechee Epicenter een July!
Jayn we een de Gullah/Geechee epicenta fa “Gullah/Geechee Famlee Weekend 2026!” Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and de Gullah/Geechee Famlee culturally invites you to the heart of the Gullah/Geechee Nation for “Gullah/Geechee Famlee Weekend.” We will gather on the grounds of Penn Center on historic St. Helena Island for two days of powerful cultural reconnection, reflection, and celebration—all under the guiding theme: “Hunnuh mus tek cyare de root fa heal de tree!”
Gullah/Geechee CREATE Celebrates Culture, Creativity, and Coastal Stewardship on Historic St. Helena Island
The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, under the leadership of Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, proudly continues its cultural and environmental work through Gullah/Geechee CREATE, an innovative program in collaboration with South Carolina Sea Grant that merges art, environmental stewardship, and cultural education in the heart of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Celebrations of Creativity on Historic St. Helena Island in the Gullah/Geechee Nation
Don’t miss celebrations of creativity in the Gullah/Geechee Nation at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park on St. Helena Island in the Gullah/Geechee Nation during March 2026! E gwine be a time!
Gullah/Geechee Nation Celebrates Black History Month
In the Gullah/Geechee Nation, celebrating sustained identity and land ownership happens 365 days of the year. So, the Gullah/Geechee Nation is actively engaged in Black History Month celebrations and will host numerous events throughout the coast. Cum fa jayn we!
HEADS UP! Protect Gullah/Geechee Sacred Burial Areas!
HEADS UP Gullah/Geechee Nation Famlee! STAND UP on Tuesday and protect our sacred Gullah/Geechee burial areas!
Join us at the BIg House Cemetery Court Hearing
on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 9:30 am at
the Beaufort County Courthouse
102 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort, SC 29902
Room 208
Envisioning Gullah/Geechee Peace and Sea Island Serenity
I thought about how I was getting dressed to go to my mom’s to tell her that there was going to be a prayer vigil in Beaufort that I was going to go to that evening and I wanted to make sure she would be ready to go too. She was ready the moment I said, I was going to pray. As I talked to her, I realized that where we planned to go was actually the same lot where Junior and I had stood and talked! I looked up and I smiled. I could see his face as he smiled. I could hear his voice again saying, “Cuz, I’m still fishing.”
STAND UP to Protect Gullah/Geechee Cultural Protection Overlay District!
Join us in the continued fight to protect the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Protection Overlay District of St. Helena Island, SC!
A Demonstration to Protect St. Helena
before Special Beaufort County Council Meeting Wednesday Aug. 20th at 12 pm at 104 Ribaut Rd in Beaufort, SC.
4th of July Juke Joint Jam at Penn Center!
Get ready for a soulful and spirited 4th of July Juke Joint Jam on Historic St. Helena Island, as Penn Center invites the community to a holiday celebration with Gullah/Geechee traditions at its heart.