The City of Fernandina Beach and Nassau County Board of County Commissioners came together to proclaims the week of July 28 through August 5, 2023 as “Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week.”
The Gullah/Geechee Nation is the geographical area of the Sea Islands and Low Country of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. This area is home to the only African American population of the United States with a separate, long-standing name identifying them as a distinct people and the lone speakers of the only true African American Creole language of the continental United States.
Africans began arriving on the Sea Islands in the 1500s. As their population increased, these Africans began to engage with, and in some instances, started families with indigenous Americans in the region, the descendants of which are known as “Gullah/Geechee.”
The Gullah/Geechees have an extensive history in Nassau County that includes both the enslavement and self determination of the Gullah/Geechee people through the history of Amelia Island, Old Town, Yulee, Nassauville, Franklintown, and American Beach.
For the past twenty-two years, Her Royal Highness and Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation Queen Quet, a St. Helena Island native, has served the Gullah/Geechee Nation with honor and distinction as their official spokesperson and ‘Head pun de Bodee.’ Queen Quet has led several libation ceremonies in Old Town including the Middle Passage Marker Ceremony at which the Peck Ensemble sang the spirituals created by Gullah/Geechees.
As sea levels rise due to recurring storm events, Gullah/Geechee area human infrastructure, as well as their sacred lands, are increasingly threatened at an accelerated pace. To support the resiliency and sustainability of Gullah/Geechee territories, 2023 initiatives will bring public and private sector stakeholders together to focus on environmental strategies aimed at mitigating costly coastal hazard event damages, allow shorelines to move inland, instead of attempting to hold the line with structural engineering and to restore and protect the coastline and ocean.
The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners acknowledges the native Gullah/Geechees of the Gullah/Geechee Nation from Jacksonville, N.C. to Jacksonville, Fla. throughout the Sea Islands and Lowcountry and supports the honoring of their ancestors that built this region and the continuation of this rich and cultural heritage.
The City of Fernandina Beach proudly supports the cultural heritage and sustainability of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and delights in partnering with Queen Quet to celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
jroberts@fbnewsleader.com