MSSI Director Sunni Solomon, Dean of Special Academic Programs Adrianne Washington, and MSSI Scholars Ayoade "Ayo" Adeosun, Jalin Boger, Kelvin Dagadu and Abdullah Konate gathered in July to reflect on their recent summer travel-study experience.
Q: How did you decide to study the Gullah Geechee?
Ayo: Last year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, MSSI traveled to Philadelphia to participate in a hip-hop writing class at Drexel University and an annual picnic hosted by The Roots. That was great. But for the MSSI Scholars first official trip, we wanted to tap into something a bit deeper, less contemporary, more historically rooted.
Solomon: What's interesting about MSSI is that our students come from various African countries, Baltimore, you name it. This fosters frequent discussions about cultural differences. Two members, Ayo and Jalin, began asking, "But where do our cultures meet?" They suggested studying the Gullah Geechee. It wasn’t on my radar.
Washington: I had a different plan for them this summer, but they wanted to learn about the Gullah Geechee culture. I felt like we needed to honor their wants and autonomy, because they’re the scholars and they're trusting us with their time.
Q: What were you hoping to get from this study trip?
Jalin: Being born and raised in the U.S., I was interested in seeing a Black community with their original culture still intact.
Abdullah: I'm from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. I wanted to learn more about the fate of the enslaved people after the ships left the coast. We didn’t study that part much in school.
Kelvin: Same. I'm from Ghana and I also wanted to make that connection between the before and after.
Ayo: I was raised in the U.S. but my parents are from Africa. I knew about the transatlantic slave trade and its effects and the rich culture in South Carolina. For me, it was just bracing myself and then becoming fully immersed in this trip.
Washington: As a group, we wanted the focus to be on the cultural preservation piece. But you need to understand the history in order to understand why this community is preserving what they are.
Q: Why is the travel component important to study?
Jalin: I think it’s easier to absorb information through experience versus someone saying, “Here it is.”
Kelvin: Interacting with a different culture and being there to really learn from them makes it so much more than a vacation.
Ayo: Definitely. And experiencing history up close, like walking through preserved slave quarters or meeting the Gullah Geechee, offers poignant in-your-face learning that you can’t get from a book, online or TV.
Solomon: And the students didn’t just interact with the Gullah Geechee, but the people of South Carolina. Everyone was so welcoming, asking the students questions and wanting to know more about them. As the program director, witnessing those interactions was a highlight.
Q: On your trip, you met Ron Daise, host of the show “Gullah Gullah Island." Any highlights from that?
Solomon: At one point, Ron began singing a Gullah Geechee call and response and the room fell silent. I wondered, Is this working? When everyone started joining in, it was like, It’s working! I was worried for a moment. [Laughs.]
Ayo: Something about the music and how his voice filled that room was heavy and beautiful. I was taken aback at first. That’s why I was so quiet. Then I realized, You’re in the front row, Buddy! [Group laughs.]
Solmon: And later, during a second call and response, everyone sang together!
Ayo: The music spoke to something deeper within us. There’s a connectivity we feel that we can’t always identify or name. Hearing the songs, eating the food, walking through the plantation together – it all strengthened it. That’s why we all sang that time. It came naturally from within us.
Q: What from Gullah Geechee culture would you like to incorporate into your own life?
Ayo: Valuing our elders. Gullah Geechee elders meet with local politicians, ask questions, then inform and advise the community on how to vote. They’re valued and they're trusted.
Jalin: Being active in my community for sure.
Ayo: Yes. We learned that the Gullah Geechee praise houses also served as hubs to gather funds for communal needs like health care or property improvements. They're resilient because they help each other out as a community. That's important.
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