Tag Archives: United Nations
Gullah/Geechee Action Call from COP22: Wha Hunnuh Gwine Do?
Living literally on the shores of the frontline of climate change impacts makes the immediately implementation of CULTURE IN ACTION absolutely necessary because as my mama always taught me “Time and tide wait for no man or woman!” The changes are already flowing. So, now it is a choice in which way we will be going. Disya a Gullah/Geechee Call ta Action frum COP22! Wha hunnuh chillun gwine do? The quality of life in the world is truly up to you!
Gullah/Geechee Connections with the Global Climate Change Community @COP22
As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon stated:
“Today’s global challenges demand concerted global action and joint solutions.”
It is because of this reality that the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s citizens wanted to insure my ability to make this journey. Our Sea Islands and our cultural heritage of the Gullah/Geechee Nation can only be protected when the global community recognizes how we all connect to one another.
Toasting de Gullah/Geechee wid Moroccan Tea
Arrival in Marrakesh, Morocco was truly a long journey. Given that I flew on multiple flights and had a six hour layover in the Netherlands, the effects on my body made me appreciate all the more what my ancestors had been through on their journey by sea going in the opposite direction. Just reflecting on this took me right back to the place and space of giving thanks for the blessing of being able to go to the Motherland to represent the Gullah/Geechee Nation especially for such a historic event.
Gwine ta de Motherland fa tek a Stand! Gullah/Geechee @COP22
“The land is our family and the waterways are our bloodline.”
• Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com)
“Hunnuh mus tek cyare de tree.”
• Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com)
I have heard these words come from my mouth thousands of times over the years because they are rooted in my heart. They are rooted as deeply as Gullah/Geechee culture is into the soil and the souls of the Sea Islands. These islands are from whence the blood comes that runs through my veins like the waters that flow to and from our shores each day perfectly syncopated in polyrhythmic rhythm to the motions of Gullah/Geechees as we move about and walk the sacred ground that holds the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors-our family.
Queen Quet at Lowcountry Montessori School
Tune in to Gullah/Geechee TV as Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) delivers a keynote address at the Lowcountry Montessori School. She brings to life this quote by the founder of Montessori education, Maria Montessori.
Living Through Matthew in the #GullahGeechee Nation
As the coverage of #HurricaneMatthew continued and we prayed unceasingly for the islands of our kins people-Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba, we also prayed for all in this pathway of what was going to take every thing from the pages and the Powerpoint presentations of scientific reports and predictions about sea level rise and storm surge and place it on the center stage of real life after having rehearsed as theories. I wondered if the people that I worked with in so many meetings to discuss resilience and adaptation would now be paying attention to the cultural heritage aspects of all of this. I also wondered if equity entered their minds. SMH I continued praying while staying.
Support Queen Quet of @GullahGeechee Going to UN’s COP22
Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) tirelessly works to help keep the Gullah/Geechee culture alive and to protect the environment. Her native culture is inextricably tied to the land and the waterways of the Sea Islands and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to major climate change dynamics, there are numerous threats to the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s coast and thereby to the continuation of the cultural traditions of Gullah/Geechees. Please support her journey to the UN’s COP22.
Queen Quet featured on Gist of Freedom Discussion of United Nations TransAtlantic Slavery Memorial
Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) concluded Middle Passage Month in the Gullah/Geechee Nation with a discussion of the United Nations memorial to the victims of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade and the lack of involvement of African Americans in the unveiling and dedication of this permanent memorial.
Don’t Drill Off the Gullah/Geechee Coast Ripples Like Waves as Climate Week 2015 Begins!
They stood together to once again say, “Don’t drill!”
Oil exploration off our coast will harm seafood, but that’s not all it will kill
The Gullah/Geechee culture is inextricably tied to the sea
Which is why “Don’t Drill” is the mantra in GA, NC, and SC!
Queen Quet’s Journey from the Lowcountry Up the Hill to the Congressional Black Caucus
This embrace also brought me back to the embrace in Switzerland where we not only sat and provided input in this international arena, but where we also enjoyed a reception at the United States Embassy while we were there continuing the fight for equity, human rights, and justice.
They say that the “journey of 1000 miles begins with a step.” Well, sometimes it continues with a plane ride. These plane rides have allowed me to sit above many issues of inequality that seem wide spread on the ground below, but it is a blessing to land and walk up the Hill to be amongst those that are on the ground working to make positive changes and who are working to heal the land and the people by putting their energy into seeking opportunities to create places of equality.