Georgia

Fly from Los Angeles to Savannah. Begin with a welcome session introducing the global pillars and driving question that will guide your week.

Start with an African American history tour through Savannah’s Franklin Square to learn about the contributions, struggles, and resilience of African communities. Then, travel to Pin Point, an isolated Gullah Geechee community founded by freedmen, where descendants share their family histories through storytelling and song. Take part in a Gullah language lesson and join a participatory ring shout sing-along. Debrief on how history is preserved through place and memory.

Travel to St. Helena Island to visit a Gullah Geechee family-owned farm. Identify medicinal plants and explore traditional healing practices before joining an indigo dyeing workshop to create your own scarf. Learn how rice farming techniques brought from West Africa continue today, then take part in a cooking demonstration and shared dinner using locally harvested rice. Wrap up with reflection on the value of preserving traditions.

Take a ferry to Sapelo Island with a descendant guide who will share the island’s history, from Native shell mounds to plantation-era tabby ruins. Join a sweetgrass basket weaving demonstration and then head to the beach for seine net fishing—working as a group to cast, pull, and examine the catch while learning eco-friendly practices. End the day with a ferry ride back and a reflection on traditions as forms of connection.

In Savannah, watch a Gullah Geechee blacksmith bring African techniques to life at a traditional forge. Take part in assembling cooking setups used across generations. Then visit Savannah College of Art and Design’s Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies for a hands-on workshop where you’ll create art inspired by African American and Gullah Geechee stories.

Gather for a closing reflection circle on what you’ve learned about the past and how it shapes the future. Then step into the city for a community asset mapping project. Split into groups to walk different blocks, identifying tangible and intangible assets like gathering spaces, murals, businesses, or oral histories. Present your maps, discuss what traditions are well-preserved or at risk, and share ideas for protecting and adapting them. A neighborhood representative will provide feedback as you consider how communities sustain memory across generations.

Fly home from Savannah, carrying with you stories, songs, and traditions that show how memory and culture sustain community.