Gullah Geechee Community Day, a celebration of Gullah and lowcountry heritage and culture, will take place in various locations in downtown Conway on Saturday, Feb. 25. The event is a joint effort of the Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies, housed in Coastal Carolina University’s Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and Conway Downtown Alive.

This is the third year the community day has been held. The celebration will feature interventions all day long: workshops, performances, and cultural experiences designed to give the residents of Conway a peek into the Gullah Geechee traditions and culture of this region. Event locations include the Horry County Museum auditorium and the Bryan House.

This year’s event is organized by a new member of the CCU faculty, Charles Norton, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and director of the Joyner Institute. The institute focuses on Gullah and African Diaspora Studies to understand the blending of African cultures due to migration because of slavery. This gives them a unique and specific viewpoint in which to study the Gullah Geechee people and thus celebrate their regional importance.

“I think I bring a perspective that is very knowledgeable to the African Diaspora and seeing how important and incredible Gullah Geechee culture is and the potential it has,” said Norton. “We are able to share it with a broad variety of folks who are not as knowledgeable or even know it exists. There are so many incredible things that come from the Gullah Geechee culture, not just in the lowcountry, but globally in the context of the African Diaspora.”

The day’s keynote speaker, Ron Daise, is the former vice president for creative education at Brookgreen Gardens and the co-creator of Nickelodeon’s “Gullah Gullah Island.” His presentation, titled “Lemme Tell Ya Wha Gullah Geechee Da!,” is from 10:15-10:55 a.m.

From 11 a.m. to noon, Marilyn Hemingway, CEO/president and founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, will moderate a roundtable discussion to talk about “Future of Gullah Farming.” Roundtable participants include Akua Page, a Gullah Geechee tour guide, entrepreneur, and content creator from Charleston, S.C., and representatives from Kidogo Farms, Freewoods Farms, and Mishoe Legacy Farms.

CCU students will perform several interventions. The CCU Jazz Combo will perform music inspired by Gullah dances. The day will also include a Hybrid Hip Hop Cypher Ring Shout, a tradition of the Gullah Geechee to share their talents and allow the music to speak through them.

Norton said, “For the first time, we’re going to end with a participatory Hybrid Hip Hop Cypher Ring Shout, which is going to include live instrumentation from the CCU R&B ensemble. Plus, it will be an opportunity for some of our young, up-and-coming artists I work with at CCU who are spoken word poets and singers. We’re also going to open it up to youth and the general public.”

The day will also feature an artist talk and live performance from Q. Smalls, a Gullah rapper and activist from Hilton Head Island, S.C. Smalls is a descendent of Robert Smalls, a steamship captain from the lowcountry region, who liberated himself from slavery generations before.

Other activities include guided genealogy assisted research, Gullah high tea, an Adinkra stamp workshop, and scene readings from CCU theatre students.

This community day is made possible by CCU’s collaboration with Conway Downtown Alive. Norton described how beneficial their partnership has been in ensuring space for interventions as well as providing an indoor area for the vendors and artisans market in the event of inclement weather.

For a full list of activities and locations, click here.