Gullah Geechee Community Day highlights the significance of Gullah Geechee cultures and the wider African diaspora to both Horry and Georgetown counties. “Gullah Geechee” refers to the descendants of enslaved individuals, predominantly from West Africa, who retained many of their African traditions and cultures because of the relative isolation of their plantations from the rest of the world. Gullah Geechee traditions have informed most of what we know today as Lowcountry culture and cuisine from Hoppin’ John to Calabash Seafood.

This festival is the last day of an international conference that concentrates on Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora (IGGAD), hosted by the Joyner Institute Gullah Institute at Coastal Carolina University, filled with presentations, readings, and performances. This year’s theme is Who Owns This? Communities, Preservation, and Heritage. This year, to be as accessible as possible, events will be livestreamed. Select events will be live-streamed to our social media, but for an all-access pass, please purchase a virtual registration. To learn more, register, or buy tickets to exclusive events, visit http://gullahgeecheeday.com/