Allen: Stokes Marshall was a "North Star" in Gullah Geechee community

Nearly 25 years ago, Thomasena Stokes Marshall invited me to sit at her kitchen table that served as a center of power and influence. From that first meeting grew a friendship and partnership between two kindred spirits in the Gullah Geechee community.

When Thomasena passed away Jan. 7, the community lost its North Star. She set the tone for a lifelong passion of public service. As I reflect on Thomasena’s life and legacy, I am struck by the pride, dedication and respect she held for Gullah Geechee people. She is also the first African American to serve on the Mount Pleasant Town Council.

In 2000, when the Gullah Geechee community and the National Park Service explored the soul of Gullah Geechee culture, Thomasena was an early supporter. She jumped into the trenches and encouraged Gullah Geechee communities to support this effort.

She linked the East Cooper and Mount Pleasant area to these efforts. She appeared in the documentary film, BinYah: There’s No Place Like Home. She spoke during the debut of the traveling sweetgrass exhibit, “Grass Roots African Origins of an American Art.” Through her efforts, Mount Pleasant, with support from the community, built the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion. Thomasena was the driving force for the creation and launch of the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival, and she guided the creation of the Winnowing Hands bronze sculpture in the Market at Oakland in Mount Pleasant. Through these efforts, all of which began at her kitchen table, Thomasena effectively sealed the bonds between Gullah Geechee culture and the East Cooper communities.

Thomasena’s commitment to service was not limited to the historic African American Settlement Communities of Green Hill, the Old Village, Phillips, Scanlonville and Snowden, Two Mile, Four Mile, Six Mile, Seven Mile and Ten Mile.

Through her efforts and community support, these accomplishments led to the development of the Sweetgrass Overlay District, a planning tool implemented through her leadership to preserve and protect sweetgrass baskets and historic communities.

I can only imagine where the East Cooper community would be today if she had not been successful in her attempts to bring fairness and respect to the community.

Thomasena, an East Cooper native, lived in the “warmth by another sun.” She returned to the community after a stellar public service career in law enforcement in New York City. She came home to make a difference. When she returned to Mount Pleasant, the seeds that had been planted in her as a student at the Long Point Schoolhouse were allowed to germinate. She was an early supporter to preserve, protect and restore this school.

The preservation of the schoolhouse along with the establishment of the African American Historic Settlement Commission were the closing chapters in her long illustrious life and career. I believe the commission will continue to champion the causes Thomasena supported.

I am grateful for the wonderful projects we worked on together. Her insight and guidance on many occasions helped me navigate through tough times. But then I have asked myself if Thomasena had not been successful, who else could have accomplished these tasks?

I will no longer sit at her kitchen table to exchange ideas and dreams. So, where do we go from here? I would hope that a younger generation of community leaders east of the Cooper River will pick up the baton to do the work to honor the life and legacy of Thomasena Stokes Marshall.

The funeral for Thomasena Stokes Marshall was held Friday at the Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant.

Michael Allen is the retired community partnership specialist with the National Park Service.