Lemon Project hosts panel discussing Gullah Geechee culture

Panelists speak on preserving, celebrating cultural heritage of historic Black coastal community

Thursday, April 27th, the Lemon Project at the College of William and Mary hosted panelists in a lecture titled “Deeply Rooted: Preserving and Celebrating Gullah Geechee Heritage” to discuss the cultural heritage and preservation of the Gullah Geechee inhabitants of the Carolina Lowcountry and Georgia’s Coastal Empire.

The lecture took place as part of the Lemon’s Legacies Porch Talks Spring 2023 circuit and focused on the theme of the 13th Annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium: “At the Root: Exploring Black Life, History, and Culture.”

Panelists include Gullah Geechee consultant of Port Royal and St. Helena Island, South Carolina, Reginald Tendaji Bailey, assistant professor of English in Gullah Geechee Literature and Cultures at Georgia Southern University, Dr. Joyce White and assistant professor of Communication at the College of Coastal Georgia, Kyle R. Fox, Ph.D.

“The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and Sea Island cotton plantations of the lower Atlantic coast,” Bailey said. “That area has been designated as the Gullah Geechee Corridor. It is the only National Heritage Area dedicated to a group of people. Throughout this area are a number of different communities and organizations that are supporting preservation and education about Gullah Geechee culture.”

Bailey is a Gullah Geechee native from Port Royal and St. Helena Island, South Carolina in Beaufort County. Bailey described the Gullah Geechee community in St. Helena, referencing the strength of their communication.

“St. Helena Island in particular has a stronghold on Gullah Geechee culture,” Bailey said.“ We’ve been able to maintain our property and maintain our land, which has really given us an opportunity to maintain our culture in a really significant way.”

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Bailey noted that many institutions are lending their support with research and offer financial resources to help facilitate educational programs, symposiums and festivals to maintain the Gullah Geechee culture. Through this support, communities are able to address issues regarding cultural preservation, but also climate change and the impact of sea level rise on low-lying Barrier Island areas. together and sort of bridge what is often seen as very siloed spaces, to bridge those and really talk about the issues facing the Gullah Geechee communities and how the University can be part of solutions.”

Though Fox does not identify as Gullah Geechee, he has invested significant interest in the space and culture. Fox’s involvement would come together to bring awareness to the Gullah Geechee culture.

“I’m trying to not only establish an academic and institutional relationship with the community, but a community within that space,” Fox said.

Bailey highlighted a recent study which estimated that within Gullah Geechee Heritage tourism, there is an annual surplus of roughly $3134 billion dollars allocated to give to Gullah Geechee communities. However, no existing infrastructure is in place to support the receival of these funds and to delegate funds to appropriate parties.

“What I’ve liked so far working with the Morehouse Mellon Public History project is that there’s a great effort in trying to develop exhibits within communities and having communities at the center of telling their stories and making sure their communities are benefiting from being the storytellers of their own stories,” Bailey said.

Through acknowledging the importance of history, White highlighted the need to study and preserve generational legacies.

“I was at an event the other day with some community members of Gullah Geechee and they said, ‘Every Black folk in America is Gullah Geechee. So, just claim your heritage,’” White said. “And if that’s the case, then that means all of us have a responsibility and a duty to maintain and preserve a culture that has really, to be honest, shaped the American landscape.”

White described Georgia Southern University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carl L. Reiber, Ph.D.’s efforts to establish a Gullah Geechee heritage cultural center, which will officially open on Friday, June 16th.

“The other thing I will say is not only is this happening on a departmental and a college level, but also on a community level,” White said. “Our director of the Gullah Geechee center, Maxine Bryant calls it ‘communi-versity,’ where the community and the University come at the College of Coastal Georgia allows him to commit his time to the Gullah Geechee community through education.

“We are committed to this community and an initiative to highlight the Gullah Geechee community in our region,” Fox said.

Fox proposed a Gullah Geechee initiative to the administration at the College of Coastal Georgia that is composed of academic, cultural and performative elements. Rather than hiring faculty specifically for a position in the initiative, interested individuals on campus

In earlier historical periods, the terms “Gullah” and “Geechee” were considered derogatory. In the modern age, a shift in perception of the terms has allowed individuals to embrace Gullah Geechee culture and identities and feel proud of their heritage.

“That’s where we’re headed, to a place where all of us can be on this bus together, proud and holding our banner and preserving this culture in our own ways,” Bailey said.

The three panelists introduced their current projects, promoted upcoming events and shared personal work.

CEO, Secretary of Phi Beta Kappa gives talk titled “Liberal Arts and Democracy: The Essential Link”

Civil rights attorney Frederick Lawrence speaks about place of traditional liberal arts education in contemporary United States

Tuesday, April 18, the College of William and Mary’s Democracy Initiative hosted Phi Beta Kappa Secretary, CEO alumni Frederick Lawrence in Sadler Chesapeake BC. Lawrence spoke for an hour then answered questions from students and the academic community.

“I came to the talk because [professor Peter McHenry] recommended it,” Lara Nayar ’24 said. “I’m de nitely interested in civil law and I wanted to come see what this respected scholar had to say about it.”

In Lawrence’s talk, titled “Liberal Arts and Democracy: The Essential Link,” he began with the story of PBK’s founding in a bar on December 5, 1776. That night, the now-honors fraternity came up with their mission statement, “Love of learning is the guide of life,” in which the members then committed themselves to a lifelong pursuit of education. e Alpha of the Virginia chapter of PBK at the College hand-picks each member and holds an initiation each semester. e society values freedom of thought and recognizes academic excellence.

PBK is an elite academic honor society for college seniors that requires a 3.9 GPA and has a 10% acceptance rate.

Lawrences connected PBK’s early notions to the nation’s beginning, ve months prior on July 4, 1776 when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and established a democracy that required “consent of the governed.” However, after clarifying that consent must always be continuous and informed, Lawrence questioned the practicality of this notion within modern American society.

He argued that an educated population is necessary for informed consent, but in 1776, only 3% of the population attended higher education. Lawrence noted that today, less than one-third of the population attends higher education.

“Through the beginning of the 19th-century, America began to build an educated population, in part because that is an essential lament of the consent of the governed,” he said. “So, I would claim that education is essential for multiple aspects of a functioning democracy.”

In the information age, Lawrence believes education is necessary to distinguish fact from ction and to prevent a “rationally-closed mind” that cannot imagine other possibilities.

“We have access to raw information that was not imaginable even a decade or two ago,” Lawrence said. “ e trick is how do you turn raw information into knowledge? at is what the purpose of education is.”

Lawrence argued that a civic education is required for all in a fullyfunctioning democracy, and while he talked primarily about at the collegelevel, he asserted it must begin in elementary school. Lawrence explained that it is the responsibility of teachers to foster the instinctual moral intuition and open-mindness that children possess.

In higher education, he said, providing a civic education is the rst of two core principles a professor must hold. e second principle is honesty in what is being taught. He also stated that a civic education means providing context to the laws and how they apply to our society rather than only memorizing them. Lawrence noted that debating and academic freedom of speech are also important as they give students the necessary tools to assess, analyze, question and freely think about their government for informed consent. Lawrence stated that a liberal arts institution, like the College, is what the American tradition of civic education is all about. is distinctly American tradition of liberal education is not only necessary for democracies, but it’s essential for fostering a sustained engagement for free individuals committed to our shared values of justice, liberty, dignity and equality,” Lawrence said. Additionally, he said students with a liberal arts education are more likely to reject authoritarianism and maintain democracy, even in a turbulent social climate. Threats to the homefront, including the COVID-19 virus and racial tensions, can lead to a rise in authoritarian ideas for stability.

Youngkin’s rollback on felon’s voting rights is a step backward

Last month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-V.A., reversed an existing practice in the commonwealth of Virginia that automatically restored voting rights to those who finished felony sentences. Virginia’s state constitution dictates that felons’ voting rights must be restored solely through the governor’s approval.

determined by the partisan composition of government. It does nothing to walk away from the racist history of the voting rights restoration process either, all while cheapening the value of rights. Indeed, the disenfranchisement system in Virginia dates back to its 1902 constitution, which, as Matt Ford, a writer for The Atlantic describes, aimed to “destroy black political power.” ment merits disenfranchisement. For example, Alabama deprives the right to vote from people who have committed crimes considered to be of “moral turpitude.”

Virginians should also be worried about the efficiency of this process, especially considering the slowdown in Youngkin’s restoration numbers. As NPR reported, Governor Youngkin’s team has been remarkably silent on how he will evaluate each application and did not respond to questions of how many more people’s rights will or may be restored.

Clearly, Youngkin’s actions are unnecessary, unjust and inefficient. So much for a “new day” in Virginia.

Who gets to determine morality? And why do we accept that other rights are not restricted by morality, but voting is?

Considering these questions, this morality framework is not as rocksolid as one might think. After all, if society does think morality should play a role in determining enfranchisement, then it would make more sense to disenfranchise the most violent, immoral ex-felons, not all of them like Virginia does. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who would equate a felony white-collar crime with felony rape or manslaughter, yet this is precisely what the disenfranchisement process does.

Youngkin’s recent course of action is inconsistent with the policies of his Republican and Democratic predecessors, with the laws of respective states, with his campaign promises and with the principle of democracy. He could have brought us into a “new day” in Virginia as promised. Instead, he has chosen to pull us back into another era. In the 2023 General Assembly elections this November, voters should remember his actions.

John Powers ’26 is a prospective Public Policy major who hails from Brooklyn, NY. He is a proud member of the College’s debate society. Contact him at jdpowers@ wm.edu.

The discussion over this issue is nothing new. In 2013, Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-V.A., took a step forward by eliminating a waiting period requirement to apply for a voting rights restoration with certain stipulations. In 2016, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-V.A., followed by using his clemency powers to restore the voting rights of over 200,000 citizens. However, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down this executive order, finding it was overly broad and did not consider the unique circumstances of each individual person.

Once again, we saw a shift away from strict disenfranchisement under Gov. Ralph Northam, D-V.A., who signed an executive action, which reformed the eligibility criteria for voting rights restoration in 2021. In effect, the voting rights of 69,000 citizens were restored. For some time, it appeared Youngkin would not depart from this path. As The New York Times reported, he restored the voting rights of 3,500 citizens during the first four months of his tenure. Yet in the subsequent five months, that number had declined to just 800. Then came his quiet reversal.

In rolling back the voting rights of former felons, Youngkin made Virginia the sole state to disenfranchise any person convicted of any felony. He defended his action by arguing that individual application reviews are mandated by the 2016 state court ruling mentioned above. His answer masked the fact that he has walked away from the ethos of his 2021 campaign and the principles of democracy.

A major part of Youngkin’s political appeal was his promise of a “new day” in Virginia and a clear break from the same old politicians. He even ran multiple ads of him and others walking through a crowd of zombie-like politicians, proclaiming that “the future belongs to us, not them.” Regardless of your personal political views, many would agree with the sentiment that we must progress and that ineffective politicians should not stand in our way. His message was one of hope and efficiency.

However, Youngkin’s recent move is a stark departure from that message. While the sharply divided 2016 court ruling focused on the en masse nature of McAuliffe’s executive order, it does not deem restoring the voting rights of all former felons signature-by-signature unconstitutional. In other words, the court decision does not necessarily force the governor to walk us back this far as he implies. He could follow loose eligibility criteria like Northam and restore rights caseby-case. Instead, Youngkin chooses to not universally restore rights.

This shift does little to change the perception that rights are to be

At their core, restrictions on former felons raise important questions about morality and our democracy. Why should a citizen who committed a felony and paid their debts back to society be punished with a revocation of a fundamental right? Isn’t a judicial sentence supposed to be the avenue to punish an individual?

Youngkin and those who agree with him may state that disenfranchisement serves an important public safety purpose. However, they ignore the studies showing that participation in civic life reduces recidivism. Others may argue that some crimes are so severe that punish -

Beyond Alabama, it seems that there is widespread consensus that enfranchisement expansion should only be afforded to non-violent past-incarcerated individuals. For instance, Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-I.A., signed an executive order in 2020 that restored the voting rights of most ex-felons, excluding those who committed homicide or sexual abuse. Additionally, McDonnell’s actions, mentioned above, were limited to only non-violent ex-felons. Though restricting voting rights from the most immoral individuals in society may seem acceptable at first, it begs many questions. Must a voter be a moral person? What constitutes the most immoral behavior? Why does the legal definition of a felony serve as the model for this?

Youth

disbelief regarding Brown’s engagement. To deny that she has grown up is, perhaps, to continue denying that I, myself, have grown up too. But honestly, what does it mean to “grow up?” grateful for your youth. Savor it. Rejoice in the fact that your family’s survival no longer hinges on whether you managed to successfully hunt that venison. Be grateful for the fact that you no longer have to be married off to your best friend’s cousin’s neighbor for discount cattle. Be glad that all that is asked of you at the moment is to use college to grow into who you want to be.

It is undeniable that being a teenager in the 21st century is different from being one in the 15th century. In fact, according to a BBC article, the term did not even exist before the Industrial Revolution. A boy as young as 15 was expected to take on the role as “man of the family,” and a girl of the same age was supposed to take care of said family. These folks could have rightfully been called grown up. Meanwhile, in the modern day, it’s become such a trend to return home after college that insurance companies allow people to stay under their parent’s health insurance coverage until they turn 26. Whether we’re grown up until then is up for debate.

In my eyes, the difference lies in experience. Back in the day, you would have collected twice the number of stories by the time you arrived at whatever age you’re at right now. If you don’t believe me, just read Tom Sawyer. Now, most of youth is spent in the confines of a desk chair. With the expansion of compulsory K-12 education, we’ve sacrificed street smarts for book smarts.

I concede — Brown might not be your average 19-year-old. Yes, she might have had to “grow up” somewhat faster due to her acting career. But consider all the wealth this has allowed her to accumulate. She has all the more luxury to take life one step at a time. I doubt her livelihood is resting on a dowry.

I understand the two have been together for three years, too. The way I see it, however, is that a couple more years would not be the end of the world if they truly intend to have a marriage that lasts. Do the math: a three-year relationship followed by a 50-year marriage lasts the same as a ten-year relationship followed by a 43-year marriage.

For those who haven’t heard, Millie Bobby Brown announced that she got engaged two weeks ago. For those who have heard, I’m sure it still requires effort to digest the last sentence. I’m sure of that because, in terms of reactions, I’ve already heard several variations of the same sentiment: “Wasn’t she a child just a year ago?”

There’s a lot to break down in that sentence. Firstly, it assumes she isn’t still a child. She’s 19 years old. That’s technically teenage digits. That’s also the same age as much of the class of ’26. That’s … my age.

I cannot speak for all college freshmen everywhere, but I can confidently say that I, for one, am not an adult. This piece may be published for all the internet to see, but I will gladly air out my dirty laundry if it means

I get to make my point better. So, on the topic of laundry, consider the following: I hadn’t washed a single piece of clothing before moving to college. Even after stepping onto campus, I still don't know how to do my taxes. In fact, I have never even earned a taxable paycheck. Most importantly, my sleeping companion remains a stuffed platypus. Even if none of this were true, I still would not be an adult. Why? Because I don’t feel like one. Call it a complex if you want. Tell me that the only reason I don’t feel like an adult is because I don’t want to be one — because I don’t want to get old. You could even extend that hypothesis to explain my

Technological progress has also delayed the process of maturation. Just one example: independence has become more of a lifestyle choice rather than a technical requirement of college life, especially since cell phones have made communication with the parental units just a hop, skip and tap away. It used to be a hassle - with pay phones a few decades ago and letter writing some years before that. You no longer have to fend for yourself or learn things as they’re hurled at you because you can simply shoot a text to ask how long to leave things in the microwave.

All that is to say, just because someone is 19 does not mean they are “grown up.” Now, being 19 does not mean you have to be green around the ears either, but it has become a lot more common to spend more time feeling your way about the world. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to say that it’s a bad thing. By trading in a lot of what would traditionally be considered “grown up” problems, modern youths have taken on a variety of academic and extracurricular pursuits that their ancestors would only have dreamed of.

This is the part when I finally say it: be

Furthermore, if she truly loves her man, and if he truly loves her, marriage can certainly wait. If the worry is that he will fall in love with some model from Milan in the meantime, I fail to see how it doesn’t pay to be patient. I don’t know about Millie Bobby Brown, but I would rather be cheated on before I tie the knot, when breaking up doesn’t take millions in the form a divorce.

But of course, Brown will probably not read this article. I am not so prideful as to believe that it will ever cross her eyes, me being me and her being her. She will probably have her wedding before the manifestation of that kind of miracle. To those of you who are reading this article, at least, let it be known that I highly encourage you all to think twice about cashing in your youth before your time is ripe. Smell those roses. Take your time with it.

AgavniMehrabi’26isplanning todoublemajoringovernmentand finance. Outside of The Flat Hat, AgavniisamemberofWCWM90.9 andArcheryClub.EmailAgavniat almehrabi@wm.edu