Building Bridges: USACE collaborates with Gullah/Geechee leaders to strengthen cultural and environmental partnerships | Article

To continue strengthening community partnerships, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, hosted a listening session with Gullah/Geechee community leaders at District Headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, on October 17, 2024.

Representatives from Charleston and Wilmington Counties also attended the session to further foster meaningful relationships with Gullah/Geechee communities.

Andrea Farmer, Savannah Area Archaeologist and Tribal Liaison, welcomed USACE Regional teams and leading members of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.

“Every step we take toward building relationships and finding ways to partner will get us closer to where we need to be and where we want to be,” Farmer said.

The Corps’ Environmental Justice initiative within the Division of Planning aims to meet the needs of historically disadvantaged communities by reducing environmental burdens, increasing participation in decision-making processes, and increasing access to benefits provided by Corps programs.

The listening session allowed USACE to expand its understanding of Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage, hear about community issues, and explore collaborative solutions to strengthen collaborative efforts.

The session also provided an opportunity for Gullah/Geechee community leaders to learn more about Corps programs that can be used as resources to solve issues facing Gullah/Geechee communities.

Meeting of Voices

The day was organized into purposeful discussion segments. While the morning engaged participants in a series of presentations designed to get to know each other, the afternoon was devoted to in-depth conversations focused on exploring partnership opportunities.

Gullah/Geechee Living Historian Dr. Amir-Jamal Toure started the meeting with an offering ceremony featuring copper coins while telling the stories of his ancestors.

The Gullah/Geechee people are descendants of enslaved Africans in the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Toure’ explained that his ancestors brought traditions related to land, water and air, and these traditions are still continued today.

“It’s important for us to remember our previous stories,” Toure said. “Just as it helps us in our present, it also guides us in our future.”

Lt. Col. Vanessa Bowman, deputy commander of the Savannah District, made remarks acknowledging the expertise in the room.

“Each of us has milestones to offer; It’s something we’ve experienced, it’s something we know, it’s something we need,” Bowman said. “These data points are what create the path.”

Bowman touched on the importance of understanding Gullah/Geechee cultural values, the need for open communication, and a commitment to building trust.

“I think these protections are really unique and valuable and wonderful,” Bowman said. “This is how we solve problems”

Two commissioners of the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown and Josiah “Jazz” Watts presented the topics on behalf of the Corridor office.

Brown, who represents other commissioners from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, shared the latest updates on developments in the Corridor office, providing a brief summary of initiatives that could be developed through the partnership.

Watts provided information about the policy and his work as chairman of the Land Preservation Committee.

Collaborative Solutions

Queen Quet, chief of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, described some of the challenges her community faces and shared several projects they are actively working on.

One of the major projects discussed was the South Atlantic Salt Marsh initiative, which involves protecting, restoring and maintaining one million acres of salt marshes in the Southeast to help reduce flooding in their communities.

“Every Gullah/Geechee spirituality gives you this idea about water and knowing that this thing is not something to be played with,” Queen Quet said. “It’s a spiritual being, it’s very powerful, it can fluctuate and move in and out.”

Steven Lewis, Savannah District civil works planner, provided an overview of the agency’s role in water resources management and highlighted projects and initiatives relevant to the Gullah/Geechee community.

Lewis described the Corps’ three civil works programs: Floodplain Management Service, Planning Assistance to States and Continuing Authorities Program.

The FPMS program is a federally funded effort aimed at understanding and managing flood risks in communities, particularly as it relates to river and coastal flooding. Lewis emphasized how FPMS can assist the Gullah/Geechee people with initiatives such as building living shorelines to combat erosion, repurposing ditches for better water flow, and adding swing gates for controlled water movement.

He went on to describe the PAS program, which examines water quality, water supply and water infrastructure conditions. PAS generally requires 50/50 cost sharing with non-federal sponsors, although full federal funding may be available for disadvantaged communities.

In contrast to the two studies, CAP leads to construction projects that address water resources issues of limited size, cost, scope and complexity and aim to solve a single problem. It offers nine categories of projects, with USACE covering 65 percent of the costs and non-federal sponsors covering 35 percent.

“The Noyes Cut Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration is a CAP (project) just south of Brunswick,” Lewis said. “They cut the swamp in the ’30s and ’40s, and now this project is restoring this swamp to its natural state, essentially closing the cuts and allowing it to fill in.”

A Vision for the Future

Madison Monroe, environmental justice coordinator for the Savannah Regional Planning Department, co-organized the listening session and echoed the group’s thoughts about the importance of continuing these meetings.

“Relationships don’t come in a day and trust doesn’t come in a day,” Monroe said. “Having this listening session and maintaining engagement really starts to deliver on some of the things we want to do as part of the mission of this group and the vision that we see going forward.”

The next Gullah/Geechee Listening Session will be March 24, 2025 in St. It will be held on Helena Island.