Gullah Women: Their History, Culture, and Traditions on Hilton Head Island

Every February since 1996 The Hilton Head Gullah Celebration showcases t rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Gullah people past and present.  In this three-part series you learn how this extraordinary community of native Islanders preserve their history while promoting opportunities for today and for their descendants.

Part one: February 26: Dr. Rosell Wilson will lecture on the history of the enslaved Africans brought to the Sea Islands for the sole purpose of commerce, crops, and currency.  Guest speakers will elaborate on that history and the evolution of the Gulla-Geechee way of life.  Included is a guided tour through the adjacent art gallery’s exhibit De Arts Ob We People: “Art and Spirituality”.  This event will be held at the Coastal Discovery Museum.

Part two: March 4: Dr. Wilson will host a conversation with enterprising Gullah businesswomen on how today’s leaders respect their heritage while they advocate, encourage, and support opportunities for growth and recognition in their community.  This event will be held at the Coastal Discovery Museum.

Part three: Choose March 11, 13 and/or 15: for a visit to The Gullah Museum to meet Founder and Master Storyteller Louise Miller Cohen for a one-hour presentation of her family’s long history on Hilton Head Island and tour a tour of the restored “Little House”. You will be regaled with wonderful generational stories, traditions, language, folk tales, and songs that shaped her beliefs and her life’s mission to revive, restore and preserve the Hilton Head Island Gullah cultural history.

Dr. Wilson is a former East Michigan University Professor, is the Board Chair of the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association, Native Islander.

Dr. Louise Miller Cohen is the Founder, Director, and the Curator of The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island.

Membership and tuition is $50 per semester. This allows you to take as many classes as you want, meet new friends, and volunteer if you are so inclined.

Reservations may be made by calling 843-842-8250 or online a https://www.lifelonglearning.org