Nobis World: March 2015

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Culture verus Wildlife: Gullah Descendants of Harris Neck, Georgia Seek Claim to their Land

Over 70 years ago the Gullah residents of Harris Neck, Georgia were abruptly ordered to leave their coastal property so that the U.S. military could use their land for training. Residents were given a promise that they could return after WWI ended, but instead the land was converted into the 2,762-acre Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Decades of legal battles have ensued and once more the Gullah descendants say "getting their land returned is needed to resurrect one of the last remaining Gullah communities in the U.S." Read more (2015 article, 1979 article) bout this battle between preservation of culture versus wildlife.

Former Harris Neck residents Mary Moran (right) and Olive Smith (center)

Photo credit SMN

Hundreds of adult wood storks gather on the tops of trees at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Stephen B. Morton/AP

Lead Blogger

Executive Director and Founder of Nobis Project, Christen brings fifteen years of experience as an educator and administrator in community organizations, K-12 public, charter and independent schools, and colleges/universities. Christen attributes her commitment to using service-learning and civic engagement to promote global citizenship to her experiences as a student at the Carolina Friends School. Her honors include recognition as a National Emerging Scholar for K-12 Service-Learning Research (2008 and 2009) by the National Service-Learning Partnership at the Academy for Educational Development. Christen completed her doctoral research on the synthesis of experiential education, service-learning, creative-process theory, and global citizenship education.