Photo By Emily Klinkenborg | Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown, a commissioner for the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage...... read more read more
In an effort to continue strengthening community partnerships, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, hosted a listening session with Gullah/Geechee community leaders at the District Headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, Oct. 17, 2024.
Representatives from the Charleston and Wilmington Districts also attended the session to further enhance meaningful relationships with Gullah/Geechee communities.
Savannah District Archaeologist and Tribal Liaison Andrea Farmer welcomed USACE District teams and prominent members from the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
“Each step that we take towards building relationships and finding ways to partner is just going to get us closer to where we need to be and where we want to be,” said Farmer.
The Corps’ Environmental Justice initiative within the Planning Division aims to meet the needs of historically disadvantaged communities by reducing environmental burdens, improving participation in decision-making, and increasing access to benefits provided by Corps programs.
The listening session allowed USACE to enhance their understanding of Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage, hear about community challenges, and explore shared solutions to strengthen collaboration efforts.
The session also provided an opportunity for the Gullah/Geechee community leaders to learn more about Corps programs that can be used as a resource to solve issues that the Gullah/Geechee communities are facing.
A Gathering of Voices
The day was organized into purposeful segments of discussion. In the morning, attendees engaged in a series of presentations designed to get to know one another, while the afternoon was dedicated to in-depth conversations that focused on exploring partnership opportunities.
Dr. Amir-Jamal Toure’, Gullah/Geechee Living Historian, initiated the meeting with a libation ceremony involving copper coins while he recounted stories of their ancestors.
The Gullah/Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved in the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Toure’ explained that their ancestors brought traditions involving the land, water, and air, and that those traditions are still carried out today.
“It’s important for us to remember our stories from before,” said Toure’. “It helps us with regards to our present and also directs us with regards to our future.”
Lt. Col. Vanessa Bowman, Savannah District deputy commander, offered remarks acknowledging the expertise in the room.
“We each have milestones that we can offer; something that we have experienced, something that we know, something that we need,” said Bowman. “These data points are what create the pathway.”
Bowman addressed the importance of understanding Gullah/Geechee cultural values, the need for open communication, and the commitment to building trust.
“I think these conservations are really unique, valuable and wonderful,” said Bowman. “This is how we solve problems.”
Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown and Josiah “Jazz” Watts, two commissioners for the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, presented topics on behalf of the Corridor office.
Representing other commissioners from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Brown shared the latest updates on developments in the Corridor office by providing a short summary on initiatives that could be enhanced through partnership.
Watts briefed on policy and the work he has engaged in as the chair of the Land Preservation Committee.
Collaborative Solutions
Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, presented some of the challenges her community is facing and shared several projects they are actively working on.
One of the major projects discussed was the South Atlantic Salt Marsh initiative which involved protecting, restoring, and maintaining one million acres of salt marsh in the Southeast to help mitigate flooding in their communities.
“Every Gullah/Geechee spiritual gives you that notion about water and knowing that this thing is not something to be played with,” said Queen Quet. “This is a spiritual being, a very powerful one, that can ripple up and it can pull in and take out.”
Steven Lewis, a civil works planner for the Savannah District, provided an overview of the agency's role in water resource management and highlighted relevant projects and initiatives relevant to the Gullah/Geechee community.
Lewis described the Corps’ three civil works programs of Flood Plain Management Service, Planning Assistance to States, and Continuing Authorities Program.
The FPMS program is a federally funded study aimed at understanding and managing flood risks in communities, particularly regarding riverine and coastal flooding. Lewis highlighted how FPMS could help the Gullah/Geechee people through initiatives like constructing living shorelines to combat erosion, regrading ditches for better water flow, and adding flap gates for controlled water movement.
He went on to describe the PAS program, which studies water quality, water supply, and water infrastructure conditions. The PAS typically requires a 50/50 cost share with non-federal sponsors, though full federal funding may apply for disadvantaged communities.
The CAP, unlike the two studies, leads to construction projects addressing water resource issues of limited size, cost, scope, and complexity that are meant to address a single-issue problem. It offers nine project categories, with USACE covering 65 percent of costs and non-federal sponsors covering 35 percent.
“Noyes Cut Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration is a CAP [project] just south of Brunswick,” said Lewis. “In the 30s and 40s, they cut across the marsh and now this project is restoring that marsh to it’s natural state, essentially blocking off the cuts and allowing it to fill in.”
A Vision for the Future
Madison Monroe, the environmental justice coordinator in the Savannah District Planning Division, co-organized the listening session and echoed the group’s sentiments about the importance of continuing these meetings.
“Relationships don’t come in one day and trust doesn’t come in one day,” said Monroe. “Having this listening session and continuing to have engagement is really starting to fulfill some of the things that we want to do as part of the mission of this group and the vision we see going forward.”
The next Gullah/Geechee Listening Session is set for March 24, 2025, at St. Helena Island, South Carolina.
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2024 10:35 |
| Story ID: | 484034 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Building Bridges: USACE engages with Gullah/Geechee leaders to strengthen cultural and environmental partnerships, by Emily Klinkenborg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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