The Gullah Lady

Did anyone know about this era of Slavery

Slaves in Italy? | DW Documentary Yvan Sagnet from Cameroon is battling modern slavery in Italy's agricultural sector. Sagnet once worked as a low-wage farmhand. Now he is fighting for the ri...

Hello Friends, Family and Everyone just wanted to invite you to share an evening with me as I, The Gullah Lady, share the stories, music and folk activities that have made the Gullah/Geechee culture such an interesting aspect of American culture. Check out the flyer and join me I look forward to becoming a part of your Friday night experience in the City of Charleston. This is a dream come true and I look forward to seeing you every Friday night from June through October 2018.

The New Year is fastly approaching and I am very excited about my textile art work. Since things are moving well with the handbag and household line it is time I find a seamstress to work with us at Haa'Bis and The Community Rag Quilting Initiative. If you are a seamstress and are interested in working with us contact me at your earliest convenience. Hope to hear from you very soon.

Haa'bis

Some amazing things are coming in 2018...

I spoke to a young man today about his organic farm on Johns Island, currently he's working about two acres of a 34 acre plot that was passed from his great-great grandfather. How amazing I thought to myself that the land has remained in their family all these years. It started me to thinking about the land that Daddy left me and what could be done on it. When our family member leave us their property we should use it in some beneficial way. I am thinking very seriously about what should be done with it. Do any of you have an idea it's located in a rural area. You might ask yourself why I would pose this qestion on a public forum well I believe a bunch of thinkers are better than one. Let me know your thoughts!!!

I am seeking a funding resource that has an interest in the preservation and development of Gullah/Geechee culture; language, music instumental, Praise house songs, children songs, foodways i.e. recipes, folkart traditions, research, medicinal cures and stories. My life's work has revolved around these areas of interest and am looking for organizations, groups, foundations, individuals, business anyone that understands the importance of the legacy of the Gullah/Geechee people. I await your response/s because I feel assured there are others that view the importance of this culture as I do. Thank you and enjoy your day!!!

I just posted a video which made me think about creating a short film. I know very little about creating a film, my daughter created the video I just posted a long time ago, so I thought I should reach out to my FB friends and family maybe some of you know someone that might be interested in collaborating with me to create a film. What do you guys think of this idea? I really would like some feedback on this idea so I will await your responses.

The Gullah Lady's cover photo

I decided to leave Charleston for the storm and go hangout with my family in Florence County. I had a ball and the weather was little rainy but we enjoyed our time together and laughed a lot about all kinds of stuff. Am headed back to Charleston tomorrow, hope all of FB family/firends are safe and until we see each other again enjoy each day you spend on this earth because that is my philosophy for the future. I am hopeful you all will adopt the same philosophy and live every day feeling great and expecting the best for your life. See Yah!!!

Nest | Building Artisan Businesses

Here we go!!!

buildanest.org Nest is a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating poverty, empowering women and promoting peace through the successful creation of artisan businesses.

In Place Impact Charleston

I am so excited about this opportunity it is the ground work for Haabis and the expansion and growth of the Gullah/Geechee culture. I invite all of you to visit Haabis leave a message, add a suggestion or just join us in spreading this cultural story.

Could not be happier for Sharon Cooper-Murray and her company Habis. She has been embraced by Nest http://www.buildanest.org and Bloomberg Philanthropies https://www.bloomberg.org/program/founders-projects/womens-economic-development/overview/training-artisans-establishing-global-standards/. They are providing her with a scholarship to attend a very important and large meeting at the United Nations in December.

This is what can be achieved when people are given the knowledge, information, tools, contacts, context and at times capital required to chase their dreams. She and I enjoyed the biggest hug today as this means the world to both of us. Sharon was a participant in our free community class last year. Well done Sharon!!!!!!!!!

New photo by Sharon Cooper Murray

photos.google.com

Haa'bis

So what does HAA'BIS really mean? It's probably the most asked question since we started this great adventure and the most important. HAA'BIS literally means HARVEST in English, simple right! Gullah is considered an English creole language and is spoken on the rhythm of African languages. Some of the letters used in English were not used in African languages, for example the 'TH' sound in This, That, Those, and Them were pronounced Dis, Dat, Dose, and Dem. The English word HARVEST would be transformed in Gullah to HAA'BIS because the R & V were not common to the African tongue. We invite you to continue to explore the culture through conversation and share your culture and stories with us too!

Hello FB family I have been of the grid for a while busy with the development of Haabis, an online marketplace for Gullah-Geechee and underserved communities. We seek to introduce a variety of traditional art forms to a broader audience as well as provide educational resources to help artisans reach their fullest potential while growing their craft. Check out the Haabis FB page and help us by taking the survey as either an artisan or a potential buyer of the goods we will offer.

I am very excited about what we are doing and am inviting all of you to support our efforts as we move forward. Thank you all and enjoy your dY.

Haa'bis

Hello All and welcome to HAA'BIS!! Thank you for following, liking, and sharing our page! The idea for creating this platform came as a result of many conversations about the recent economic and social changes in the Greater Charleston area. We believed there had to be a way to utilize our 30 years of teaching, researching and performing Gullah Geechee cultural and folkways to create economic stability and social empowerment within our communities. The idea to merge traditional Gullah Geechee commodities with the easy accessibility of an online platform would be something fresh and new for the global market. We will be launching the marketplace for a month long trial period on April 1st and sending out a brief survey that we would like you to complete. Our hope is that this space becomes a fully engaging community and we need your input, critiques, encouragement and support. Thank you again!

Haa'bis

Greetings all!! We invite you to participate in our Artisan/Buyer survey. Please click the link below and thank for your support!! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KT5TH75

If anyone told me I would be writing about traffic I would have thought they had lost there mind but here goes. I have to give a "Special Shout Out" to the motorist that travel Highway 61 and how they have been the catalyst to improve my attitude as a driver. When I started to travel this highway regularly I noticed that some of the drivers would allow others to enter the highway when they could have kept driving. I also noticed some of them when signaling to turn onto a side street would allow the driver to enter the road before they turned. After seeing this high level of Traffic Hospitality I too began to let people enter the road or would permit them to turn in front of me when traffic was moving particularly slow.. If any of you have traveled that road early in the morning or late afternoon it can be a monster but during what could be a frustrating time there are still a large number of people that demonstrate what I am calling "Traffic Hospitality". Is there anyone traveling another road in the greater Charleston area and consistently experience what I do on a regular bases on Highway 61? If so post it!!! Traffic Hospitality is a wonderful act of kindness.

Community Rag Quilting Initiative

The textile tradition of rag quilting, according to elderly Gullah women from Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, began during the antebellum period when women used feed and grain sack, along with rag strips, to make functional quilts. The craft was passed down from generation to generation, even though the need for heavy quilts diminished, and machine quilting also offered a popular alternative to hand quilting. Over the years there were fewer rag quilters living on Wadmalaw Island, and in 2010 the last quilter, an eighty five year old woman, could no longer knot the rag strips.

It was the Preservation of the rag quilt heritage, along with other distinctive folk crafts originating in rural South Carolina communities that inspired Sharon Cooper-Murray/aka the Gullah Lady to create the Community Rag Quilting Preservation Initiative in 2011. Two years later the CRQPI was designated as a non-profit project under the auspices of Palmetto Project (www.palmettoproject.org).

In keeping with a sustainable cottage industry model, the Initiative’s immediate goal is to provide needed educational resources and employment for local craftsmen within an expanding marketplace. The specific focus begins with the workplace, home, and transitions to community involvement. While rag quilting is traditionally associated with the creation of quilts, today it applies to a host of unique marketable products, from purses, table runners, coasters, wall hangings, apparel, and of course, quilts!

Won’t you join us in the preservation of rag quilting, a treasured South Carolina tradition dating back to the rice plantation culture? Here are some ways in which you can help:

• Host a Folk Art Education Workshop in your area.
• Recommend a group, organization, church, school, library, festival etc. to host a workshop. (Please provide contact information with referral.)
• Become a Partner with us by:
• Volunteering: Our areas of need include: Business Marketing, Graphic Design, Research, Networking, and Grant Writing.
• Donating: equipment/supplies, sewing machines, an electric fabric cutter, fabric, worktables, burlap, h**p, and mesh.
• Offering Financial Support: Make checks and money orders payable tohe T Palmetto Project, 6296 Rivers Avenue #100, North Charleston, SC 29406 Note CRQPI at the bottom of the check. All donations are tax deductible.

Just returned from West Virginia, Maryland and DC which was amazing. The groups were wonderful and the mountain scenery was magnificent though I am a tad fearful of mountain highways. I just have to say Thank you all for everything you made me feel like I was home.

To all my FB friends and those that visit my page I say to you all "IT IS TIME TO BUILD" if you have been working on a project or idea and have established a foundation it is time to BUILD!!!!

www.oakbrookashleyriverfest.org

I invite you all join me join me on April 30,2016 for the Oakbrook-Ashley Riverfest. It is going to be an amazing event there will be music, storytelling, great food, native American dancing and interpretation, art, historical artifacts, canoeing and so much more. There is something for every age. Check out their website www.oakbrookashleyriverfest.org and read about the history of this event. I,The Gullah Lady would love to see all of you there for an exciting and fun-filled day for the entire family.

oakbrookashleyriverfest.org

Life is filled with so many ups and downs because each day we live is a new day. Since we are unable to see the future the activities of each day can be filled with unexpected challenges or joy. When the challenges come our way they often feel overwhelming and we don't know which way to turn. During the past year I have used this motto to keep me from falling of the deep end "Within each struggle there is an opportunity". While reading this one might question my philosophy but let me explain how I have been able to see opportunities in the midst of my struggles. Recently I placed my collection of handbags in a the storage bin and have not been able to find them. At first I felt so stressed out because the collection is a years worth of work and I have an exhibition in May so I wanted to cry, scream or sink into depression. Until I looked through the pictures of some of the other pieces and realized that I could change the theme of my exhibition because I have other pieces. Being willing to look in another direction changed how I felt about everything. Later I realized as I analyzed my situation that my decision to change my focus changed my feelings.. Please note that the major factor was I DECIDED to change my focus. How we feel, react and view the struggles of life is based on how long we are willing to languish in our misery. The moment we decide to make a conscientious change we can move onward. I am not saying it is easy I am however saying the choice lies within us to make. Agonizing over a situation multiplies negative feelings such as fear, anxiety, anger but we have the capacity to let go and move forward.

I have been meeting so many new people and making some amazing connections. It is important for one to be open to the creation of new relationships. I know sometimes skepticism rears its ugly head and instead of embracing a new connection we make excuses to turn them away. I am sharing my philosophy for 2016 and it is as follows I will not allow myself to judge someone negatively before they have given me cause to do so. I am going to speak to at least seven people I don't know each day as I walk along the way. I am going to attend events that I have never attended. I am going join two new organizations and become active in them. I am going to earnestly work hard at improving my technology skills. In essence I am going to become open to the wonders of the world and at the end of the year I'll share my findings with all of you. I believe I am going to have the most amazing year of my entire life!!!! I invite all of you to create a list of things that you have never done and follow through with them. We all should expand our world and reach for the stars.

Yesterday I along with 12 other nonprofit organizations participated in the Martin Luther King Day Parade following the banner of CharlestonGood. While walking I thought about the "I Have A Dream speech as well as the current state of our society and found myself filled with mixed emotions. I even pondered the question of how do we as a society move forward....though I could not come up with a solution I believe it is very important for all of us to think about these issues.

I am currently adding new organizations to the listing as the means of increasing awareness of the Community Rag Quilting Preservation Initiative and could use the help of my Friends. We are seeking to provide opportunities to expand the area we serve, so far we have had people from 18 states and 6 countries to work on the quilt at events in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Florida. Though we are continuing to work within the states that have been so helpful to us we are seeking to expand our contacts in those states as well as connect with organizations in at least six additional states in 2016.
So Friends I ask for your suggestions of places and organizations we may contact about this unique Gullah textile tradition. Thanks for your help.

I went to the library today to review some files I had on a flash drive. Though I could have viewed them while sitting on comfortable couch inside the warm house but I had a few errands so I decided to stop at the library. When I got in the library the first thing I noticed was there were only about five people in the entire library. I walked over to the desk where two librarians were standing and said "This feels spooky". One of them responded basically saying "Yes it does feel a little spooky and the other agreed. The three of us laughed a little and I walked away. When I sat down the files I'd come to review seem to disappear from my head and I started browsing the internet until I saw a storyteller speaking to an audience about a personal experience of the loss of a loved one. Her personal story was the introduction to a Native American story and within a few minutes I was caught up in the tale she so eloquently told. Though the tale was about loss it was also about love, happiness, fun and in the end it made me realize that though many of our love ones are physically gone what they leave behind for the living is the wonderful moments we shared with them. I smiled and thought about my Mom and Dad and by the time I got in the car I found myself laughing about some of the experiences we shared from my childhood through adulthood. Though I miss them the memories of our lives still make me laugh.

Happy New Year to all of you and keep smiling, laughing and loving.

I invite you to join me at the Avery Center at the College of Charleston for a Dialogue in Charleston a conversation about the contributions of Blacks in classical music. The event is schedule from 7:00-8:30pm so I hope to see you there.

Attended the Book Circle meeting at the Dart Library this evening Dr. Millicent Brown was the facilitator. It was my first night so I listened to a lively discussion on the subject of social justice and the varying points of view from a diverse audience. It was apparent to me from the discussion that the people of the Greater Charleston area are engaged and are actively seeking was to change the current systemic practice that enable racial inequity to remain deeply rooted in the American way of life. I invite you to attend the Book Circle at Dart Library and voice your opinion or present your recommendation. I hope to see more people at the next Book Circle and a big thank you to CCPL and CofC for their support of this event.

On October 24 I will present a Gullah folk music presentation at the Morris Heritage Center in Ridgeland, S. C. from 2:00-3:00 pm. I invite all of you from far and near to join me. It is free to the public so see you there.