It's a GULLAH GEECHEE Celebration!

Join us at Hyatt Park as we kickoff A Year of Black History celebrations with the honoring of the GULLAH GEECHEE culture! See the beautiful artistry of sweetgrass baskets, Gullah artwork, learn the language and featuring Gullah Gullah Islands' Mrs. Natalie Daise, International Storyteller Aunt Pearlie Sue, The Black Cowboys of Rembert, SC, African drumming, visit the Richland Library craft area and enjoy the cuisine: The Gullah Express, Season of Love Seafood and Catering, Lucy and Kids Catering and The Brisket King, and much more. Take part in the community electric slide. Please bring your lawn chairs.

To preserve the uniqueness of the GULLAH GEECHEE culture, The Honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn introduced The GULLAH GEECHEE Cultural Heritage Corridor to the US Congress and it was designated by the act of Congress in 2006. It is a celebrated culture of the descendants of enslaved Africans bought to SC, NC, GA, and Florida, from west and central Africa.

Featured Guests:

Mrs. Natalie Daise, widely known for hosting with husband Ron,  "Gullah Gullah Island," an American musical children's television series celebrating the culture and language of enslaved Africans that was produced by and aired on Nick Jr, Nickelodeon network. The Daises are passionate performers, educators, and storytellers of the preservation of the GULLAH GEECHEE culture and history.

Aunt Pearlie Sue is the creation of Anita Singleton-Prather, a native of the Sea Islands of Beaufort, South Carolina. Based on her grandmother, Aunt Pearlie Sue's character has entertained audiences with Gullah-flavored folktales for over 20 years from the schoolhouse to the White House and Africa.

See and experience the Black Cowboys of Rembert, South Carolina.

"Not many know that cattle ranching, as lucrative frontier occupation, first appeared in South Carolina lowcountry, where the enslaved ancestors of the GULLAH GEECHEE people became America’s first “cowboys.” Gullah Museum

Sweetgrass basketry is recognized as the South Carolina State Handicraft. With roots from West Africa, this skill was brought to the United States by slaves and used on plantations to winnow rice. These baskets are symbolic of the GULLAH GEECHEE culture.

This event will take place at Hyatt Park, located at 950 Jackson  Ave, Columbia, SC 29203. 

Questions, please email: AAHCEprograms@richlandlibrary.com

This program is in partnership with the South Carolina Humanities Council and the Richland Library African-American History and Cultural Events Committee (AAHCE).

Richland Library received a Growth Grant from South Carolina Humanities, www.schumanities.org. Funding for the Growth Grants has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative

In alignment with local ordinances and guidance from CDC and SC DHEC, all individuals ages 5+, regardless of vaccination status, are encouraged to wear masks in “crowded outdoor spaces,”  during events where it is impractical or impossible to maintain six feet of distance at all times. 

For your safety and ours, please stay home if you have COVID-19, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.