Introduction
A dozen West Virginia University students will immerse themselves in a culture this spring break that they may have only seen before on Nickelodeon.
A group lead by WVU’s Center for Black Culture & Research leave Friday (March 26) for a research tour to South Carolina to explore the coastal area that houses Gullah cultures. The Gullah nurtured a variety of traditions from the west coast of Africa, including farming rice, weaving sweetgrass baskets and a speaking a language similar to Krio in Sierra Leone.
The center’s associate director, Todd McFadden, said students on the trip may have only known of the culture from a popular TV show called “Gullah Gullah Island.” Now, they will get to experience a distinct part of African-American history.
“With this trip, we’ll be looking at a culture that has not been as well-documented as you’d think something as significant would be,” McFadden said. “Now our students have a chance to learn about and perhaps add to the knowledge of what we know about Gullah culture, unfortunately before it may disappear.”
Last year was the first time the research students blogged about their experiences, a project that will be continued this year.
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