thegullahproject

Ben C. Johnson Jr.

When Ben C. Johnson Jr. graduated from high school, he left South Carolina with no intentions of returning to his roots. But upon retirement he found himself back on the same farmland that he was raised on as a child. He now teaches his grandchildren the same agriculture methods his parents used. Filmed and editedContinue reading “Ben C. Johnson Jr.”

Official First Look at The Gullah Project

“If you’re fortunate enough to have a quarter of an acre of land, that’s a good thing. ‘Cause that’s yours.” —Ben Johnson Jr., Gullah farmer on St. Helena Island, S.C., on resisting tourism development. Travel to St. Helena Island, S.C., where Gullah / Geechee residents farm and fish much the way their ancestors have onContinue reading “Official First Look at The Gullah Project”

James Bradley Sr.

This week on The Gullah Project we are featuring James Bradley Sr., one of the last African-American shrimp boat owners in South Carolina. He was a commercial fisherman over 60 years and is now retired from fishing, leaving his son James Bradley Jr., to command their boat. Filmed and edited by Dr. Buz Kloot. Interview by Denise McGill

Tradition is good business for Atkins

One of many wonderful experiences on St. Helena Island was the morning I spent oyster picking with Ed “Lee Man” Atkins. Atkins’ family owns Atkins Bait Shop, one of the oldest businesses in Beaufort County. It’s on the roadside just as you cross the bridge onto St. Helena Island. It doesn’t look like much, but folksContinue reading “Tradition is good business for Atkins”

Welcome to The Gullah Project

St. Helena Island is a magical place on the South Carolina coastline. African Americans have farmed and fished here for centuries: first as plantation slaves, then as freedmen owning small subsistence operations. It’s now one of the last farming communities on the East Coast that hasn’t been swallowed up by development.  But the Gullah/Geechee traditions here areContinue reading “Welcome to The Gullah Project”