9 Interesting Facts About the Origins, Culture and People of the Gullah-Geechee

Michelle Obama book cover

Famous Gullah Descendants

The rich culture and strong values of the region has produce some of the country’s most successful Black people. Some of the most noticeable have been: First Lady Michelle Obama; Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; “American Idol” season 12 winner Candice Glover; NBA legend Michael Jordan; NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown; filmmaker Julie Dash, and educator and civil rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark.

 

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Tourist Hot Spots, Destinations, and Desecration

In the 1900s, companies began to exploit the exotic region and its people. Thus, some of the Georgia islands — Cumberland, Jekyll, Ossabaw, Sapelo and St. Simons — became resort locations and reserves for natural resources. Places like Hilton Head Island has become one of the major tourist destinations in South Carolina. People have gotten married there, held family vacations and much more. The island was a home to plantations, served as a port in the 1800s, and the Gullah-Geechee resided there as well. In recent years, the original Black residents have been pushed aside for the lavish resorts. This desecration of land has sparked many legal battles.

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