Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act

GULLAH/GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2004)

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4683) to enhance the preservation and interpretation of the Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage, and for other purposes, as amended.

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Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4683, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act, a bill that would create a Gullah/Geechee National Heritage Corridor and one or more coastal heritage centers along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina.

When I introduced this bill in June, I hoped, but did not believe, we would see this important legislation on the floor so quickly. I wish to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Ranking Member RAHALL) and the gentleman from California (Chairman RADANOVICH) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ranking Member CHRISTENSEN) for their sensitive and prompt treatment of this legislation. I would also like to thank my good friend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) for his cosponsorship and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) for his strong support of this legislation.

Gullah/Geechee people are descendants of enslaved Africans who were forced to labor on plantations along the coasts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They have a rich and distinctive cultural heritage, a culture born of African roots, yet nurtured and developed in the southeastern United States.

Gullah/Geechee people are a proud and independent people who do not want their culture relegated to a museum or a history book. Instead, they want to keep their culture and language alive, to tell their stories in their own words, and share their heritage and experiences with the world. H.R. 4683 would help them to do so.

For the past 4 years, the National Park Service and partnering agencies, Gullah/Geechee communities, and grassroots organizations have worked diligently to create a plan for the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the Gullah/Geechee language and culture. This bill reflects the findings of a 3-year study and input of Gullah/Geechee citizens.

I believe wholeheartedly that this bill would help to lay the groundwork for keeping the culture alive and providing a means not just for the preservation, protection, and reinvigoration of Gullah/Geechee communities and cultural landscapes, but for making those unique experiences an integral part of the future social and economic activities in the southeastern United States. The coastal heritage centers described in the bill will provide places where all Americans can learn of the many contributions Gullah/Geechee ancestors made to American heritage.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the passage of this bill, and once again, thank my colleagues for making this day possible.

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