Coastal Gullah Geechee & Afro-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce
Who We Are
The Gullah Geechee culture is one of the most unique and historically significant African American cultures in the United States, shaped by the descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to the southeastern coast. Because of the relative isolation of the region's barrier islands and coastal lowlands, these ancestors preserved a profound amount of their diverse African heritage. They developed a distinct creole language also called Gullah or Geechee that blends English with various Central and West African languages, alongside rich traditions in basket weaving, storytelling, music, and a world-renowned culinary heritage centered on rice, seafood, and local crops.
To safeguard this vibrant living history, the federal government established the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. This federal heritage area extends across a vast coastal strip stretching from Pender County, North Carolina, all the way down to St. Johns County, Florida, reaching 30 miles inland and encompassing the beautiful coastal communities of South Carolina and Georgia including right here in the Savannah area. The Corridor serves as an official recognition of the region's cultural distinctiveness, working to support the communities that maintain these ancestral lands, languages, and customs.
Preserving Gullah Geechee history is vital because it represents a direct, unbroken link to West African roots that survived the trauma of the transatlantic slave trade. What makes this culture so remarkably different from any other in America is this high level of cultural retention; while many African traditions were systematically suppressed elsewhere, Gullah Geechee communities successfully maintained their ancestral identity, spiritual practices, and communal land-use systems. Protecting this legacy is not just about honoring the past. It is about ensuring that the economic, artistic, and historic contributions of the Gullah Geechee people continue to enrich and shape the future of our coastal region.