As the Crow Flies Blog #2

On March 12, 2021, I presented two papers through Zoom in a paper session at the Hawaii International Conference on Education National Association of African American Studies & Associates 2021 Virtual Conference. One paper I presented was titled “Freshwater Geechees, Saltwater Geechees, and Other Gullahs: Africanisms and Acculturation Beyond the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.” The abstract of the first paper is as follows: “This paper examines Africanisms and the process of acculturation beyond the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor with special reference to Georgia. It argues that the Gullah Geechee cultural heritage extends beyond 30 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Georgia. It also argues that the Gullah Geechee cultural heritage extends beyond 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Georgia.  In addition, this paper argues that Black migration patterns in the state of Georgia played a major role in the spread of the Gullah Geechee cultural heritage beyond 30 miles both before and after the Civil War.” This paper was published by Hawaii International Conferences in its Hawaii International Conference on Education 2021 Proceedings. It has also been reprinted as the Jeremiah B. Sanderson Leadership Institute Occasional Paper 51. The second paper I presented was titled “Controlled from the West: Remembering the Central Committee of the Black Panther Party.” The abstract of the second paper is as follows: “This paper examines the Central Committee of the Black Panther Party during the lifespan of the organization from 1966 to 1982. It argues that the Central Committee was controlled and dominated from the West by an Oakland-based social network in the organization which excluded members from other parts of the country. This paper also argues that this social reality led to well-qualified members, like Fred Hampton in Chicago, Illinois and Zayd Shakur in New York, New York, never getting a position on the Central Committee of the national organization. In addition, this paper argues that this social reality hindered the development of the organization in that some people were excluded from top leadership positions because they did not come from the West, namely California.” This paper was published by Hawaii International Conferences in its Hawaii International Conference on Education 2021 Proceedings. It has also been reprinted as the Jeremiah B. Sanderson Leadership Institute Occasional Paper 52.