12-02-2025
Coastal Carolina University to host International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Coastal Carolina University will host the annual International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora 2025 Conference, which will feature performances, activities, and more, a news release said.
The conference will be held from Feb. 20-22 at Coastal Carolina University, with Conway Community Day happening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 22 throughout the city.
The university's Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies will host the event, with the theme 'Reconstruction Through the Lens of Gullah Geechee and Communities within the African Diaspora.'
The conference brings together scholars, artists, and culture keepers in the African Diaspora, including international participants, performers, and regional community leaders.
The event will hold academic sessions, as well as a community day, featuring free exhibits, talks, vendors, and activities.
This year's IGGAD will feature an emphasis on international connections and regional partnerships, with a panel exploring the connections between people of the Maroon culture in Suriname, and the Gullah Geechee people of the southeastern United States.
'It will be a wonderful culture exchange on display,' Zenobia Harper, director of the Joyner Institute and Gullah artist and community member said. 'These are two separate groups of people that are coming together to talk about rice – the thing that binds them to each other and also to West Africa.'
Val Littlefield, interim director of the Center for the Study of the Reconstruction Period at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, will deliver a keynote lecture at the opening dinner of the event on Feb. 20.
'We're working hard to partner with other institutes and organizations that are doing the work of preserving Gullah Geechee and African American history and experiences,' Harper said. 'I'm really happy about that.'
For the full conference schedule, click here.
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Jordan White is a Digital Producer at News13. She joined the News13 team in August 2024. Jordan, a Myrtle Beach native, graduated from St. James High School in Murrells Inlet and is a graduate of Coker University. Follow Jordan on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
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