Popular ABC show Good Morning America went Gullah this month. The show spent some time over the past month in the Lowcountry, including St. Helena Island and Beaufort, filming a piece on preserving the Gullah Geechee heritage in the U.S. Parts of it ran on their GMA3 show, and an interview with Gullah Historian and Storyteller, Anita Singleton Prather (Aunt Pearlie Sue), ran on GMA’s Rise and Shine segment on Tuesday, March 15th.
And, while they were here in February and March, GMA3 went pretty deep. The show talked about Gullah Geechee land, history, language, food, culture and the life of Gullah Geechee in today’s world.
“The Gullah Geechee culture has been around since the start of America, and in fact, helped build the nation. Today, those part of the distinct group of Gullah people with deep roots back to Africa are working hard to preserve their culture,” GMA3 said.
“An estimated one million Gullah people currently live in an area Congress designated the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. Johns County, Florida. Gullah Geechee people are African American descendants of enslaved, mostly West Africans who were forced to work the rice, indigo and Sea Island cotton plantations on the southeastern coast.”
“A vibrant, rich culture was created along with a way to communicate — a unique English-based, Creole language called Gullah. The words “Gullah” and “Geechee” are often used together but the exact origins of the words are unknown. Many believe “Gullah” comes from Angola, Africa, were many of the enslaved people were brought from to the U.S. Some think “Geechee” refers to Gullah people who lived around the Ogeechee River near Savannah, Georgia.”
“One thing is certain,” the GMA3 segment added, “is whether it’s through art, historical figures or food, the impact of the Gullah people on the nation is undeniable. Some say that soul food or Southern cooking can be attributed to the Gullah. Southern, seasoned favorites like shrimp and grits, okra, and red rice are all original Gullah dishes.”
“the Gullah culture itself, is a culture of survival. People went through horrible things, and we could have been completely wiped out. But not only did we survive, we continue to thrive.”
Anita Singleton Prather, on GMA
Interviews were done with the right people, too. Mary LeGree, of St. Helena Island was interviewed about the old days and about the Gullah Praise Houses that still stand on the Island today. Mrs. LeGree is the caretaker of the Coffin Point Praise House.
Mrs. LeGree said she hopes the remaining praise houses will be a source of inspiration for younger generations as she works to preserve the Gullah culture.
Victoria Smalls, a St. Helena Island resident and the Executive Director of the Gullah Geechie Heritage Corridor was also interviewed.
“My ancestors, Adam and Betsy Smalls, also purchased land during that time,” Victoria Smalls told ABC News. “And we still own 20 acres of the land that was purchased. It is empowering … because we can sustain ourselves as a family. We can grow crops on it.”
Smalls told good Morning America that the Gullah culture is more important now today than ever. She believes there are ways to keep the Gullah culture alive by not only talking about it but reminding the nation of key Gullah figures in history like Robert Smalls.
“More people are feeling a greater sense of pride about being Gullah and Geechee. When I was growing up in the 70s, people would call you ‘geechee’ and those are fighting words.”
The show segment also talked about the art of sweetgrass basket making, and about the Nickelodeon kids show Gullah Gullah Island, a popular 1990s show starring locals Ron & Natalie Daise. “There was this richness and purity to the culture that time hadn’t passed in a way,” said Maria Perez-Brown, the creator of the show. “We didn’t want to go there [to St. Helena Island] and exploit the culture and say do it like this because it’s going to work for camera. And we had ambassadors. Ron and Natalie opened those doors for us.”
Check out the two GMA videos below. One of the videos is the Rise and Shine segment, and features Anita Singleton Prather, a popular Gullah Historian and Storyteller that most know by the name, “Aunt Pearlie Sue.”
Prather gave a poignant interview on GMA, stating that “the Gullah culture itself, is a culture of survival. People went through horrible things, and we could have been completely wiped out. But not only did we survive, we continue to thrive.”
Make sure you watch them both to see what GMA has been up to here in Beaufort and the sea islands.
More Gullah Geechie articles:
Read: Passed through generations, Gullah fight to preserve heirs property
Read: The Legend of the bottle tree
Read: Penn Center and the Port Royal Experiment
Read: Marsh tacky horses: Not just a pet, a Gullah way of life
