Gullah Geechee Heritage Month Begins On East Coast

Gullah Gechee Cultural Heritage month kicked off this week along the east coast.

NBC reports that the culture is known as Gullah in the Carolinas and Geechee in Georgia and Florida. Regardless of what you call it, the Gullah Geechee community will be celebrating their long and storied history for the rest of the month.

There will be a number of events held in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida over the next few weeks and the Gullah Geechee Nation Facebook page has been helping people celebrate online.

The Facebook page has been sharing photos from the civil rights movement, honoring important members of its culture, and sharing links to preservation sites.

The people of Gullah Gullah Island are celebrating their history this month but they are also fighting for their future. The ABC News reported this week that soaring property values have caused a huge tax hike in the area. Most of the islands don’t have public schools, police, or even paved roads so many residence are angry about their higher taxes.

Cornelia Bailey said her tax bill has gone from about $80 to $3000.

Bailey said: “So what are we paying taxes for? We’re just paying for privilege of living on Sapelo Island. We don’t want to be crybabies, but it seems like we’re being treated unfairly.”

The Gullah community stretches over 425 miles down the Atlantic Coast. The nation was started by slaves who freed after the civil war.

If you want to celebrate Gullah Gechee Heritage month check out the Facebook page here. Or, at the very least, spend a few minutes traveling back to Gullah Gullah Island.