African American Culture

Freedom Day | Exploring the Families of Historic Mitchelville

January 22, 2021

Freedom Day: Exploring the Families of Historic Mitchelville an epic documentary that will explore the journey to freedom through the stories and conversations of the descendants of the way makers in Mitchelville. On this journey, you will meet the Aiken, Brown, Burke, Jones, and Lawyer families that have called Hilton Head Island for nearly 200 years. In addition to those families, you will find out how Harriet Tubman and the American Red Cross’s Clara Barton contributed to the success of Historic Mitchelville.

Hilton Head First Families | The Aikens

December 5, 2020

From the beginning of my research, it became clear that the Aiken family was a family that strived to achieve all that they could often under very difficult circumstances. When I first asked the family how far back they could trace their family roots, I was told about James Aiken, who was born in 1871. However, when I began my research, I was not only able to find James, but also his father Joseph Goodwin Aiken, who was born in Bluffton in 1831. Remarkably, I was also able to find

First Families of Hilton Head | The Lawyers

July 27, 2020

The Lawyers, like most families on Hilton Head depended on the land as well as the surrounding waters to sustain them, but for generations, they chose to make fishing the family business. This included Ned’s sons, Edward Jr. and Jack Lawyer, and all of his grandsons after him, including Arthur Lawyer Sr. However, even though an existence surrounded by water brought them life and joy, it brought tragedy and loss as well.

Mary Green | Shaping Gullah Futures

May 10, 2020

Born into the Gullah culture on Hilton Head during a time “when life was beautiful,” Mary Green was raised to believe that “everyone was your mother. As children, we knew that any adult in the community could discipline us if we did something wrong, just like our parents could. People were wonderful to each other on the island, we always took care of each other.”

Mother Rivers | An Island Treasure

May 9, 2020

Born in 1918, Mother Ethel Rivers is recognized as the oldest living Gullah, and has the distinction of being the only living former resident of Hilton Head Island’s historic Mitchelville. She is the keeper of the native islanders’ history, and she is revered by all who know her.

Hilton Head First Families | The Fergusons

December 4, 2019

By Luana M. Graves Sellars Photo Credit: Mike Ritterbeck In a world where we need

The Lowcountry’s Heritage Trail

November 29, 2019

Bennett envisions a historic trail that links the following sites and historic assets: “Santa Elena, telling the story of European Exploration and Settlement, Penn Center, telling the Gullah Geechee and Reconstruction stories, Beaufort and Port Royal telling the story of Reconstruction, and Hilton Head telling the stories of the Civil War and Mitchelville.”

Sailing from Slavery into History

November 21, 2019

By Luana M. Graves Sellars Artwork by Sonja Griffin Evans You might have already heard

Harriett | The Movie Review – Part Two

November 6, 2019

The new movie, about Harriett Tubman, has been stirred up a lot of conversations about its factual or fictional aspects. In Harriett: The Movie Review – Part 1, I alluded to facts, which I think are relevant to Harriett Tubman’s historical significance as an American heroine that should have been included in the film.

Harriett | The Movie Review – Part One

November 1, 2019

Actress Cynthia Envio brings life and a depth of character that Harriett herself would be proud; with a story to back it, that highlights Harriott’s motivation and development into a natural leader. Envio’s acting is seamless enough to make you believe that you have a birds-eye view into Tubman’s life. Scene by scene, you can clearly follow her growth and utter determination to follow Tubman’s God-given destiny.

Pin It on Pinterest

Enjoying this blog? Please share :)