JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of West and Central Africans who were chained, enslaved and forced to cultivate the lands of the lower Atlantic states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. The Gullah Geechee language is an infusion of Creole wrapped in grammatical roots from African and European languages.
It's a unique culture with strong communal ties that still remains to this day and can be seen in arts and crafts and felt in the music.
Jacksonville, Florida is home to the largest concentration in the U.S of Gullah descendants with lineage stretched through LaVilla neighborhoods reaching the Brooklyn area and beyond.
Homes painted with haint blue ceilings believed to ward away spirits can be seen on heirs' property passed through generations.
The artist featured in this week's Vivid Hues: Stories of Black History is Tatiana Kitchen who painted a Geechee woman. Kitchen is a Douglas Anderson School of the Arts alumni. To view more of her art visit @ofphoenix on instagram .
Saundra Morene, President and CEO of the Gullah Geechee Nation helped narrate the Gullah story along with Dr. Marlena Smalls known as "The Voice of Gullah". Smalls founded the Gullah Festival in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1985.
Monday, February 13 First Coast News shares the story of Doris "Dorie" Miller, the son of Texas sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves. He was a mess attendant who emerged as a Pearl Harbor Hero.
The history of the Gullah Geechee told through art | Vivid Hues
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of West and Central African slaves. Jacksonville in particular has a large number of Gullah descendants.