The Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation, founded in 2020, is enhancing climate change awareness and environmental literacy among peoples of color in frontline communities in coastal South Carolina. These communities – particularly Gullah Geechee descendants of enslaved Africans – face mounting threats from sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, intensifying storms, and unchecked development, putting their lands, livelihoods, and cultural traditions at risk. Celebrating the Gullah Geechee, The Foundation and the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce were founded by Marilyn L. Hemingway, a civic leader and entrepreneur in Georgetown, S.C. An advocate for the environment and clean, renewable energy, Hemingway also founded the annual Gullah Geechee Environmental & Energy Conference, hosted in South Carolina and Georgia, with plans to expand to North Carolina and Florida. Through the conference, the Foundation aims to motivate and mobilize the Gullah Geechee and rural and low-income residents to advocate for sustainable solutions to the effects of climate change in their communities.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, established by Congress in 2006, stretches from Wilmington, N.C. to Jacksonville, Fla., encompassing 80 barrier islands and coastal counties rich in history and tradition. Today, this region faces rising seas, overdevelopment, and the erosion of cultural practices tied to land and water. In response, the Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation is creating a Seafood Trail – with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – to preserve maritime stories and support local seafood traditions. The Foundation also offers business classes to help micro and small seafood businesses thrive. With additional funding from the U.S. Energy Foundation, it has revived the Gullah Geechee Environment & Energy Conversations, connecting residents with solutions to local climate threats. In a place where families risk losing ancestral homes and heritage, the Foundation’s work offers hope, knowledge, and lasting impact.