Gullah Geechee Youth Culture Quest
During our Summer 2023 internship, we connected with the Cosmo Community in Jacksonville, Florida as they expand the storytelling and preservation efforts in the area. The short film, Gullah Geechee Youth Culture Quest” brought together youth & elder culture bearers educating and learning from one another to help cultivate continued stewardship of Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage for the future.
What is Cosmo?
People who survived enslavement and maintained and morphed their traditions, languages, and beliefs settled in the areas around coastal plantations during the post-Civil War era. One such community, was named Cosmo. Building homes near the St. Johns River, founding Cosmo community members were riverboat pilots, farmers, and worked in commercial fishing. An early member of the Cosmo community was Easter Bartley, born on Kingsley Plantation. She and so many others found family, culture, and community in places like Cosmo.
Today, Freedom Park, located down the road from Fort Caroline National Memorial, helps to honor their history. Through community members actively protecting and sharing their stories and traditions, this culture lives on.
Learn more about Cosmo from the Cosmo Historical Preservation Corperation. The Cosmo Historical Preservation Corporation is dedicated to raising awareness about this historic Gullah Geechee community and the threats to its continued survival.
Videos below include Cosmo community members recording oral histories, and preserving culture through song.
From Kingsley Plantation (https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/gullah-geechee-communities.htm)
