SC State students deepen understanding of Gullah Geechee heritage at Penn Center

Residency program brings together scholars from six institutions to explore commemoration, culture and community history

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Four South Carolina State University scholars spent a week immersed in the history, culture and traditions of the Gullah Geechee community as participants in the 2026 Penn Scholars Research Residency at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, joining students and faculty from colleges and universities across the Southeast.

From May 18-22, three current students, Tyler Brand, Chane Hardy and Donovan Johnson, and one recent graduate, Kennedy Spears, along with Dr. Alison McLetchie of SC State's Department of Social Sciences, joined students and faculty from Agnes Scott College, Claflin University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Tuskegee University and the University of Georgia for the residency. The theme for this year's program was commemoration.

The students had the opportunity to live on the Penn Center campus and learn about the center's history. This is the fifth year of the program, which is sponsored by the University of Georgia Wilson Center for Humanities and the Mellon Foundation in partnership with the Center and is provided at no cost to participants.

According to Spears, a 2026 business management graduate, the "experience not only reignited my love for history but also my awareness of the unprecedented parallels between the past and the present."

This year, the participants were introduced to Gullah cuisine and the experience of Reconstruction at both the Penn Center and Historic Mitichelville Freedom Park. They learned how to quilt using the Gullah Rag method as well as indigo dyeing.

Attendees also explored African and African American influences on architecture and Tabby building technology. They met with Gullah Geechee elders and listened to first-person accounts of attending Penn Center and preserving community traditions and values, particularly the role of Black midwives.

On the last full day, this year's cohort explored historic downtown Beaufort, learned about foraging and the use of traditional herbs among the Gullah Geechee, and examined ongoing research, conservation and cultural preservation efforts on Sapelo Island in Georgia.

Chane Hardy, a nutrition and food major, wrote that the experience "helped me appreciate the resilience, intelligence and strength of African Americans throughout history. Most importantly, it reminded me that it is our responsibility to honor the sacrifices of our ancestors by being educated, involved in our communities and focused on building a better future."

For more information about the program, contact Dr. Alison McLetchie at amcletch@scsu.edu or visit the program's website.