Cultural Enrichment Series 2003: Journey to Wholeness

Message To Readers

My research has been designed to accommodate a personal commitment to university and community service.  As a method of promoting social and cultural diversity within our university and community, I have initiated a long-term study of Gullah culture and language.  Gullahs are descendants of enslaved Africans living in the Sea Islands and coastal regions of South Carolina.  Gullah culture evolved in relative obscurity until bridges were built connecting the islands to the mainland. The bridges stimulated economic growth, particularly land development initiatives associated with tourism and travel along coastal South Carolina. 

Gullahs are losing their land at alarming rates as elaborate golf courses, condominiums, hotels, and shopping malls dot the landscape.  The Gullahs have economic and emotional ties to the land and live a traditional existence based on farming and fishing.  Economic land development along coastal South Carolina and within the Sea Islands literally present a threat to the existence of Gullah culture and language.  Scholars, social activists, and professionals from many walks of life are joining hands with Gullah leadership to preserve this unique and distinctive culture and language.

I am working to preserve this unique and distinctive culture by presenting papers at professional conferences and publishing articles in peer-referred academic journals. I have created a series of cultural enrichment programs entitled "Journey To Wholeness" for Ohio University students and our community in southeastern Ohio.  I have created a course entitled Journey To Wholeness for undergraduates at Ohio University Southern.  I have successfully integrated information on Gullah culture in my sociology courses at Ohio University Southern and the University of South Carolina Beaufort South Campus in Bluffton, South Carolina.  As a professional scholar, I pledge to continue my efforts in the preservation of Gullah culture and language.    To learn more about my research click here

Sincerely,

Charles W. Jarrett, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Ohio University Southern