Ping and Echo: Gullah Geechee
Welcome to Ping and Echo, a daily newsletter that links to one amazing podcast episode that is guaranteed to be a great listen for kids and their families. Each newsletter includes links to articles, videos and activities related to the podcast so you can turn every episode into an adventure.
Today’s podcast episode is from The Stoop. Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba describe the podcast as “a celebration of black joy with a mission to dig deeper into stories that we don’t hear enough about.” In this episode the pair go to South Carolina to talk about growing up amidst the Gullah Geechee, a people “rooted in a mix of African cultures” with their own language and traditions. Day and Baba examine a number of ways Gullah culture and language show up in other parts of our national life (like the song Kumbaya, and the sewing of sweetgrass baskets like those in the photo above). In the episode we also hear from Professor Sunn m’ Cheaux, a Gullah Geechee professor, who grew up being told not to speak the Gullah language and now teaches it at Harvard. The episode can spark good conversations with kids about the importance of language, place and culture and how those histories intersect with racism and power.
Podcast: The Stoop
Episode: Gullah Geechee
URL: http://www.thestoop.org/home/2019/1/23/episode-22-gullah-geechee
Length: 30 minutes
🧐 You Should Know
I’ll always give you a heads up if there is anything in the podcast that might surprise or worry kids. Nothing to worry about in this episode.
💡 Try This
After you listen to the episode you can learn more and try some some Gullah words and phrases with the links and activities below:
The Geechee Experience offers short videos on Gullah Geechee language and culture
Watch Sunn m’Cheaux discuss his work teaching the Gullah language at Harvard University
🔎 Explore More
Read up on this history and culture behind this episode with these links:
Learn more from the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Streaming Gullah Geechee Culture: Where to Find New and Classic Films Online Today
Being Gullah or Geechee, Once Looked Down On, Now a Treasured Heritage - National Geographic
The name Ping and Echo comes from sonar technology which relies on sending out “pings” and receiving back “echos” to discover the world around you. You can send us pictures of the art and activities created by your kids. Email them to pingandecho@gmail.com and we’ll post all your echos on our Instagram and our Twitter page.
Thanks for lending us your ears and your inbox.
Ruby, Toby, and Josh