As I guide people through the park, I use the natural world as my map to tell the story of Gullah Geechee people. The water, trees, brick buildings, and grass under our feet all hold stories deeply ingrained within Gullah Geechee culture. While it is difficult to uncover the specific names and stories of individuals enslaved at Riverfront Park, we know that life on a rice plantation involved a complex system of labor. Unlike the gang system used on many plantations, rice plantations often employed a task system. This meant that enslaved individuals were assigned specific tasks to complete each day. Once their tasks were finished, they had some autonomy over their time. However, this system still subjected them to the threat of violence if their work was deemed unsatisfactory. In the precious few moments of free time they had, many enslaved Gullah Geechee people would tend to their own gardens. These small plots provided not only supplemental food but also a sense of personal agency and cultural continuity. My enslaved ancestors brought seeds, such as rice, okra, watermelon, benne, etc, with them from their homeland, often braiding these seeds into their hair. The gardens served as a space to preserve ancestral memories through plants and connection to the land as they grew vegetables and herbs that were both familiar and essential to their survival. Gullah Geechee people are descendants of scientists from West and Central Africa, who were enslaved and trafficked to the Lowcountry regions of South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. My ancestors’ unique culture, language, and traditions have significantly influenced the area’s history and landscape. The Gullah Geechee language developed on rice plantations as people from various regions of West and Central Africa blended their native languages with English. This Creole language emerged as a means of communication among the enslaved people, incorporating African linguistic elements and English vocabulary. The isolation of these plantations helped preserve the unique language, which remains a key part of Gullah Geechee cultural identity today. The park itself is located along the Cooper River, an area historically known as being a prime location for the cultivation of rice, a skill brought by my Gullah Geechee ancestors from the “Rice Coast” of Africa.

As I guide people through the park, telling them the story of how Gullah Geechee culture developed on rice plantations like the one we’re standing on, many ask, “Where are the statues about Gullah Geechee people?” As we pass by multiple statues and monuments of Euro-centric American culture, I point out that there are none. None that you can see, but our ancestors left something you can feel. The spirits of the land speak for the people who cultivated it, studied it, and nurtured it, those people would be Gullah Geechee. To honor this legacy, I have been advocating for an interpretive marker to be placed in front of the Dead House at Riverfront Park. This marker would acknowledge the significant contributions of Gullah Geechee agriculture and architecture to the area, ensuring that our stories and heritage are recognized and celebrated for future generations. The City of North Charleston tried to obscure these stories and our heritage by erecting a statue of Persephone, the Greek goddess of agriculture, at the park. But the true goddess of this land is Mami Earth, a hidden Gullah Geechee Earth spirit who lives in the live oak trees, soil, plants, water, and all that you see in nature. I named her Mami Earth, but her essence is recognized by many. In Gullah Geechee culture, we believe in the presence of ancestral spirits and other entities that influence our lives, acting as intermediaries between the Divine and the human world. Our spiritual system, often referred to as Hoodoo, blends African traditional religion and Christianity. Hoodoo is an African American healing and protection practice. Due to antiblackness and the demonization of Black religions, many people practice Hoodoo without naming it or even realizing its roots. For instance, painting porch ceilings with "haint blue" to ward off evil spirits is a common Hoodoo practice, as the color is believed to keep bad spirits away.