Gullah Geechee People Officially Recognized by the Freedmen Trust

The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust has formally adopted Article XXV, recognizing the Gullah Geechee people as a culturally distinct community within the legal framework of Verified Freedmen. This long-overdue recognition honors the historical resilience, land stewardship, and cultural preservation of a people whose roots run deep along the southeastern coast of the United States.

The Gullah Geechee are the descendants of Freedmen who lived in the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Despite centuries of oppression, forced migration, and systemic land theft, they preserved a unique language, spiritual tradition, and communal lifestyle. Their story is one of survival, self-governance, and resistance—built on the foundation of their Freedmen lineage.

Article XXV affirms that:

• Gullah Geechee is a cultural identity, not a separate legal status.

• Their inclusion in the Trust supports efforts to protect Freedmen land, language, and legacy.

• All reparative claims, benefits, and legal processes remain anchored in Verified Freedmen status.

The Trust will include Gullah Geechee contributions in its cultural programming, land defense initiatives, and public education efforts—ensuring their voices are preserved and protected for generations to come.

This recognition marks a historic moment of alignment between ancestral truth and reparative justice. It honors not only who the Gullah Geechee are—but what they have never surrendered: their identity, their land, and their right to be counted among the Freedmen.

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