Tea Party hosts a familiar Gullah Geechee Corridor guest speaker

You are patriotically invited to attend the open meeting of the Saint Augustine Tea Party on Tuesday October 9th at 6:30 p.m., held at the Village Inn located at 900 North Ponce de Leon Boulevard, St. Augustine. Our special guest will be author, film director, and historian, Derek Boyd Hankerson, M.A.

Established by an act of Congress in 2006, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. Johns County, Florida. The Gullah Geechee were originally from Central and West Africa, and their descendants live in the communities along the Atlantic coastal corridor.

Derek Hankerson’s family is native to St. Johns county, and his ancestry dates here from the 18th century. Derek is a direct Gullah Geechee descendant, and will be speaking about his new film “Gullah Geechee Corridor and East Coast Greenways” Tuesday evening.

This new inspirational short film by Hankerson-Henry Productions, LLC, highlights the rich culture of African history in St. Johns County, while exploring three cycling trails known as Rails to Trails, the SEA Island Loop, and the East Coast Greenways. 3,000 miles of trails extend from the Florida Keys up to Bangor, Maine.

One cycling route, the Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail runs near State Road 207 in the Armstrong community. Armstrong, is one of our county’s oldest African-American settlements. After the Civil War, the Gullah Geechee settled in Spuds, Elkton and Armstrong (the SEA Community).

Historic City News readers are invited to join Derek Hankerson when he addresses the historical exceptionalism of St. Augustine, St. Johns County, and the Gullah Geechee Corridor. A community screening of his film will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 13 at the Corazon Theatre.

Florida Governor Rick Scott issued his 6th and final proclamation last month naming October 2018 Gullah Geechee Corridor Cultural Heritage Month; coinciding with the new release of the documentary, Gullah Geechee Corridor and the East Coast Greenways, a film by Hankerson-Henry Productions, LLC.

Question and answer session to follow. Open to the public. No admission charge, so bring a friend!