Dispersed along the southern Atlantic coastline, the kin of enslaved Africans are preserving a powerful lineage.
It’s a mission the Gullah Geechee people hold with pride. Their ancestors, stolen from West African tribes, were forced to labor on the indigo, rice and cotton plantations in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. But the methods they used to conserve their African traditions have enriched American life. The hand-clapping, foot-stomping ring shouts that filled the praise houses of the enslaved echo in today’s Gospel hits. Shrimp and grits and other Southern staples are seasoned with Gullah Geechee’s influence. Textile arts, like basket weaving and quilting, that produced necessary tools and clothing for the enslaved are revered in museums across the globe.
Corey Alston has made a career out of honoring his roots in Mount Pleasant, S.C. His family-run business, All Things Gullah, exposes people to the tastes, smells, music and arts of his heritage.
“I’m a 100 percent cultural man,” Alston said. “My heritage is not a second job or a backburner career. Everything we do is preserving, protecting and keeping the culture alive.”
Alston is most known for his passion as a fifth-generation sweetgrass basket weaver. During the 17th century, the enslaved cultivated the pliable, long-bladed sweetgrass that sprouts along the coastline to make fanner baskets for rice production. That craftsmanship has evolved into a treasured artform passed down from parents to their children.
Alston’s baskets, which range from small bowls to elaborate pieces named “Papa and Big Momma” are displayed in multiple galleries and private collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Acres of Ancestry’s traveling art exhibit. Alston calls the sweetgrass baskets American artifacts exemplifying the creativity and resiliency of the Gullah Geechee people.
“A part of the joy is to be able to say that my ancestors were forced to make these tools to do these…
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