Because of You is HOT!page 10

De ConchJanuary 2016 Edition

Happy 2016!!!Tenki Tenki ta all hunnuh chillun wha jayn we fa git disya fa! Gladdee hunnuh still dey wid we pun disya journee fa mek sho de worl kno de trut bout who webe. Gladdee hunnuh da support

wha gwine on fa mek sho we lan and culcha gwine be ya faeba fa de Gullah/Geechee!!!Peace and blessings,!!

De Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition

Wilmington on Fire Premiere

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Wha Gwine On een de Gullah/

Geechee Nationpage 5

!Love Unlimited features

Gullah/Geechee Love

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De Gullah/Geechees Sea Island Coalition’s 19th Anniversary at MJ’s bin a time ya!

www.gullahgeechee.net

January 21st at 7:30 pm at the UNCW Kenan Auditorium Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith, UNCW’s diversity and inclusion specialist, will moderate the panel discus-sion, “How Artists Can Create Social Change” following the screening of this long awaited documentary. The panelist will include filmmaker, Christopher Everett, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com), “Always in Season” Director/Producer, Jackie Olive, “Cape Fear Rising” author, Philip Gerard, independent researcher, Kent Chatfield, spoken word artist, Khalisa Kelly Rae, and CEO of “Social Designs” Jada Monica Drew.!Purchase your tickets now for this outstanding event at http://www.etix.com/ticket/p/6956029/wilmington-on-fire-wilmington-uncw-arts!

http://www.facebook.com/wilmingtononfire • @wilmington1898 !

Wha Gwine On !Every Monday at 7 pm EST Tune in to “Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio!” Disya da we sho!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee *******

The Big Read in Beaufort County, SC (www.beaufortcountylibrary.org) will have us turning the pages of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Join us!

******* JANUARY January 12 at 8 pm Queen Quet on “Love Unlimited” Radio with Kim and Sheronda tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/loveunlimited/2016/01/13/love-in-the-gullahgeechee-nation !January 14-16 6-11 pm Loosie’s Kitchen, Brooklyn NY Gullah/Geechee Chef Benjamin Dennis will be a featured guest in BK. For reservations go to loosieskitchen.com/events !January 21 at 7:30 pm-UNCW Kenan Auditorium in Wilmington, NC, Gullah/Geechee Nation Public screening of the documentary, Wilmington on Fire presented by UNCW hosted by UNCW ACE Wilmington on Fire is a film about the 1898 Wilmington Massacre/Coup d’état. A panel discussion on art & social justice will follow. Tickets for the screening are $15 and can be purchased by calling the Kenan Box Office at 910-962-3500 between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.Etix.com !FEBRUARY-Black History/African Heritage Month February 1 at Noon-Coastal College of Georgia Auditorium in Brunswick, GA, Gullah/Geechee Nation Libation Ceremony and Gullah/Geechee Lecture by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) to launch the college’s Gullah/Geechee lecture series in celebration of Black History Month. Email GullGeeCo@aol.com for details.

February 10 at 6 pm-St. Helena Branch Library, St. Helena Island, SC Gullah/Geechee Nation Queen Quet presents “E Eye Bin Pun GAWD: De Gullah/Geechee Ooman een de Great Depression” (www.QueenQuet.com). This will be the opening event for “De Gullah/Geechee Living Story Series” at the library which is sponsored by the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition in conjunction with their partner, the Beaufort County Library. Email GullGeeCo@aol.com or call 843-255-6486 for information. The event is FREE. !Savannah Black Heritage Festival-“Reflections of a Proud Legacy www.savannahblackheritagefestival.com !MARCH-Women’s Herstory Month & Gullah/Geechee Volunteer Month Gullah/Geechee Volunteer Month is hosted and coordinated by the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.gullahgeechee.net) every March. Volunteers take De Gullah Root Experience Tour (www.gullahgeechee.us) as part of their orientation to Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, and culture before proceeding to do numerous community service learning and transformational learning activities. Individuals as well as college groups from across the world and civic organizations of various ages participate in assisting with the varying array of activities to assist with the continuation of Gullah/Geechee culture and traditions and the preservation of historic institutions and the Sea Island environment. To sign up to participate, email GullGeeCo@aol.com for details. !March 5-Tech Up, Step Up in Charleston, SC, Gullah/Geechee Nation The Gullah/Geechee Angel Network (www.gullahgeecheeangelnetwork.com) will continue its’ “Tech Up, Step Up” intergenerational interactive sessions in Charleston, SC. Queen Quet (www.QueenQuet.com), Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation will present for this special session. Queen Quet is a computer scientist and mathematician as well as a Gullah/Geechee traditionalist. For more details email GullGeeCo@aol.com or call (843) 572-6788. !March 11 & 12-Sam Doyles Folk Art Festival at Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC, Gullah/Geechee Nation www.penncenter.com !

March 11 & 12-Coastal Cultures Conference St. Helena Branch Library, St. Helena Island, SC Gullah/Geechee Nation The Coastal Cultures Conference is sponsored annually by the “Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank” and the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.gullahgeechee.net). This year, they are being joined by the US Fish & Wildlife Service in hosting this two day series of interactive activities celebrating the continuation of Gullah/Geechee culture. For the first time, the event will be held at the landmark St. Helena Branch Library and will have a series of youth focused activities on Friday along with numerous authors that will do book signings at the branch throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the workshops and lectures will be geared toward the adults. Email GullGeeCo@aol.com for registration information. !De Gullah Root Experience Tour will be conducted numerous times during March. Bring hunnuh group or famlee and jayn we! www.gullahgeechee.us or www.gullahgeechee.net !APRIL April 1-3 Tunis Campbell Celebration in Brunswick, GA !April 12 at Noon History Above Water Conference in Newport, RI Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) presents an interactive work-shop on successfully community engagement. www.historyabovewater.org !MAY Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition Member Gathering and Fundraiser in New York City www.gullahgeechee.net !Gullah Festival at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort, SC, Gullah/Geechee Nation www.theoriginalgullahfestival.org !JUNE-Black Music Month !JULY-Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week !

!Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association Holdin pun de Fishin Tradition!!!

The Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association (www.gullahgeecheefishing.net) was founded in Beaufort County, SC on March 25, 2010 by Queen Quet, Ricky Wright, the late Herbert Simmons, Joseph Bradley, and Keith Ellis who are all natives of St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. These founding members were quickly joined by Gullah/Geechee fishermen and women from other parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in the mission to !!1) To advocate for the rights of Gullah/Geechee and African American fishermen and fishery workers of the southeast !!2) To share traditional fishing methods with the next generation!!3) To restore access to the areas and factories needed to sustain the seafood industry in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and southeastern United States!!The Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association members have actively worked with numerous national and international organizations during their five years in existence. Their work has been featured in profiles done by the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and CNN International to name a few. ! !During even numbered years, the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association members host, the "Gullah/Geechee Seafood Festival" on St. Helena or Hunting Islands. They will return to Hunting Island in October. Throughout each year, they have community celebrations to engage more Gullah/Geechee fishing families in their efforts. The first such engagement for 2016 will be part of the “Coastal Cultures Conference” which will be held at the St. Helena Branch Library for the first time on Saturday, March 12th. They will also host a series of "Gullah/Geechee Famlee Days later!in the year. For more information, call (843) 838-1171 or email GullGeeCo@aol.com. !!De Gullah/Geechee say,!!

"De wata bring we and de wata gwine tek we bak!”

“Because of You” is HOT!

Soul artist Noel Gourdin who is known for his hit song, “The River” which touched many southern souls, is truly flowing in success with the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s

own, soul filled vocal artist, Latrese Bush. This dynamic R & B duo premiered their new song, “Because of You” here in the Gullah/Geechee Nation during the 33rd Annual Heritage Days Celebration on historic St. Helena Island, SC. They

then shot the video for the song on our sacred Sea Island sands. The song has now reached #5 in the United Kingdom! This song and the duet are blazing! !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiEN0tbhqhM !Tune in to the Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio interview and then go to iTunes and

purchase the song: !http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee/2015/10/19/webe-gul-

lahgeechee-because-of-you !

Queen Quet & De Gullah Cunneckshun CDs are available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon music &

more around the world! Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and her Gullah/Geechee histo-musical performance troupe, De Gullah Cunneckshun are not only making their way around the world in person, they are also doing this via digital downloads! CDs can be purchased at www.gullahgeechee.biz and the CDs are now available on numerous digital music sale sites around the world. Ef hunnuh wan yeddi, gwine ta disya pun CD Baby:

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/QueenQuetDeGullahCunneckshun

Disya da Gullah Roots Productions™

1. Gullah/Geechee Nation Headquarters www.officialgullahgeechee.info or www.gullahgeecheenation.com

2. Gullah/Geechee Nation on Instagram http://instagram.com/gullahgeechee

3. Gullah/Geechee Angel Network www.gullahgeecheeangelnetwork.com

4. Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition www.gullahgeechee.net

5. Gullah/Geechee TV™ (GGTV) www.youtube.om/AMPTurnItUp

6. Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gullahgeechee

7. Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association www.gullahgeecheefishingassociation.com

8. Gullah/Geechee Nation Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/GullahGeecheeWeBe/

9. Gullah/Geechee Folks on Twitter www.twitter.com/gullahgeechee

10. Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee www.QueenQuet.com

11. Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ www.gullahgeechee.info

12. Gullah/Geechee Doula Association http://www.gullahgeecheedoula.com/

13. Gullah/Geechee Nation on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/gullahgeechee/

Links to Gullah/Geechee Living Culture

!The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition is the premiere organization on the protection and continuation of the Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, and culture. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition:

• advocates for the protection of the human and land rights of Gullah/Geechee

• promotes and participates in the continuation of Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, culture, and language.

• works toward Sea Island land re-acquisition and maintenance. !• celebrates Gullah/Geechee culture through artistic and educational means electronically

and via "grassroots scholarship." !The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition has successfully carried out this mission since 1996. During which time, they developed the ONLY archive in the world which is TOTALLY dedicated to Gullah/Geechee history, heritage, and culture. The Gullah/Geechee Alekbulan Archive is being upgraded in order to continue to provide access to artifacts, images, documents, books, films, and recordings to future genera-tions of Gullah/Geechees and global researchers. The Coalition host hundreds of students and professional writers each year and it also supports native Gullah/Geechee speakers and presenters traveling to other parts of the world to make sure that accurate presentations on our culture are done in a varied array of venues. !We are calling on all supporters of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition to become dues paying members and to contribute to the “Gullah/Geechee Gold Souls Campaign.” The funds will assist with the completion of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition Center. Please use the form at the end of this ezine or go to http://fnd.us/c/07Wl6 in order to financially contribute to the fundraising efforts that are currently under way in order to finalize the second phase of archival digitization and artifact preservation. !The “wish list:” !• New Apple Mac Pro Desktop or Laptop Computer • 10 Mac Compatible 2T and higher External Drives • Acid free archival boxes of all sizes and types • Apple server • 1 poster holder !For details on how you can host a fundraising event, contribute in any or in all of these ways, please email GullGeeCo@aol.com.

Disya bout geeing frum de soul fa mek sho de richness stay een wi black gold!

GULLAH/GEECHEE GOLD SOULS CAMPAIGN

Support De Gullah/Geechee Alekbulan Archive! Please donate more archival supplies and time!

Email GullGeeCo@aol.com

Hep Mo Angel fa Fly!

Support De Gullah/Geechee Angel Network!

!The mission of the official 501(c)3, non-profit of the Gullah/Geechee Nation,

the Gullah/Geechee Angel Network is

To preserve, protect and promote the cultural heritage of the Gullah Geechee People who have lived in the southeastern portion of the United States of America from North Carolina to Jacksonville Florida 30 miles inland (known as the "Low Country") for over 300 years. To connect all people, not just in the 50 states, but internationally throughout the Diaspora, Europe, Caribbean and Africa.

Goals and Objectives are achieved by the implementation of the following seven (7) point program:

The Performing Arts: Musical plays, dramatizations, poetry, storytelling, enactments and workshops

Arts and Crafts: Workshops in the production and displaying of traditional Gullah/Geechee cultural items. Demonstrative workshops that encourage the development of functional skills and forms of expression to potential-ly showcase and stimulate direct participation in the growing ethnic tourism industry, festivals and cultural events.

Educational: The establishment of Cultural Learning Centers designed to foster motivation, achievement and cul-tural enrichment. Historical/Research excursions from the tip of North Carolina (Cape Fear) to the outlining areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

Scholarships and Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award programs and events recognizing those persons who have given selflessly of themselves, and have done considerable work for the benefits of their particular community as it relates to cultural preservation. Awarding Scholarships to youth who exhibit talent, and are oriented toward developing skills which foster Gullah/Geechee Culture.

The Internet and The Media: Networking with organizations, institutions and groups which focus on Gullah/Geechee Culture. Consistently present positive role models and activities to the low country in particular, and to in the Diaspora in general.

Production, Preservation and Documentation: Production and archiving of Gullah/Geechee video and audio recordings, books, symbols and banners. Radio, television and computer production programming.

Health and Nutrition Awareness: Forums and symposiums which explore lifestyles, food staples, food cultiva-tion and preparation of Gullah/Geechee cuisine, as well as developing holistic programs to promote well being.

Yenna House widout a doubt!

The Gullah/Geechee International Camp Meeting Center & Yenna House will host a number of activities and people from around the world and educate people on the living traditions of that exist throughout the Gullah/Geechee Nation. The next major fundraiser for the project will be the Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ www.gullahgeechee.info. Restoration begins on Yenna House during “Gullah/Geechee Volunteer Month in March.

For more details on fundraisers, tours, assisting with the project, or contributing, call

(843) 572-6788 or go to www.gullahgeecheeangelnetwork.com

GULLAH/GEECHEE SEA ISLAND COALITION

Post Office Box 1207 St. Helena Island SC 29920

I am enclosing my check for!!_____ $45 for the year of membership!!_____ $300-999 supporter (Pledge amount can be sent in monthly installments)!!_____ $1200 for lifetime membership!!_____ $___________ toward the Gullah/Geechee Gold Souls Campaign!!My check is written to the !Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition. I know that I will receive a newsletter, event announcements, and will be a subscriber to the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Roots Listserve and will also receive discounts on Gullah/Geechee products. !!!!

Mail this to !!Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition!

Post Office Box 1207!St. Helena Island SC 29920!!

Name: ! _________________________!!Address: ! ______________________________!! ______________________________!!Telephone:! ___________________ ! ! ! (Day) ! ! _______________________________ ! ! (Eve or Cell)! !!

What island are you closely connected to? ________________________________!!How?(Circle one) !! ! Family Business! !E-mail address: ________________________________!!Where did you receive this? ________________________________!!What would you like to see done by this organization?

Join the GULLAH/GEECHEE SEA ISLAND COALITION www.gullahgeechee.net

© January 2016 Gullah/Geechee Nation!

© January 2016 Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition !

ALL rights for photographs and articles are reserved. !

Republishing should not be done without consent from the Gullah/Geechee Nation.