The Gullah Geechee people make up one of the oldest and most extraordinary communities in the United States. But if you’ve never heard of them, it might be because their history is often sifted out of textbooks, and the longevity of their culture is now in danger.
This distinctly African American community began on the eastern coastal islands — spanning from Florida all the way up to North Carolina in the 1600s. Slaves, mostly from West Africa, lived in complete isolation from the continental United States, separated by rivers, swamps and waterways that weren’t easy to cross.
“That created an environment for us to create our own culture, outside of when white American culture developed,” said Akua Page, a Gullah Geechee tour guide, entrepreneur and content creator from Charleston, South Carolina.
