7/18 NEWSBREAK: Gullah Geechee Historic Preservation Project launches

More than $100,000 will be available for the new Gullah Geechee Historic Preservation Project to help documentation and preservation efforts in historically Black and Gullah Geechee communities in the Charleston area.

The bulk of the funding is through the federal National Park Service, with some money added by the city of Charleston and Preservation Society of Charleston, according to published reports.

“Black history has been woefully underrepresented in our history of the area,” said Chloe Stuber, a senior planner with the city of Charleston. “And so, this is an effort to start to make up for that. But there’s certainly a lot of work to be done. This grant is not going to achieve all of that with the funds that we received, and this is going to be long-term.”

Stuber said the plan is still open-ended and meant to be a community-driven effort, with multiple community meetings for public input on the city’s goals, which are considered early ideas and flexible as the meetings continue.

The following meetings will be in-person from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.:

July 20 at Keith School Museum, 1509 Clements Ferry Rd., Wando.
July 24 at Baxter Patrick Library, 1858 S. Grimball Rd., James Island.
August 3 at Mount Pleasant Waterworks, Rifle Range Rd., Mount Pleasant.
August 7 at J.E. Clyburn Wiltown Community Center, 5779 Parkers Ferry Rd., Adams Run.
August 10 at Cynthia G. Hurd Library, 1735 N. Woodmere Dr., West Ashley.
August 14 at Chicora Cherokee Elementary (Media Center) 3100 Carner Ave., North Charleston.
August 17 at Johns Island County Library, 3531 Maybank Highway, Johns Island.

“I think that it’s very exciting that the city is continuously recognizing the significant value of its Gullah Geechee history, culture and heritage and that they’ve been prioritizing finding new ways to preserve the settlement communities and their stories,” said Luana M. Graves Sellars, founder of Lowcountry Gullah Geechee. “The fact that they are embarking on these information sessions is a positive step in making sure that the community is involved and an active part of the conversation.”

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In other news from around the state:

Charleston set to allocate $4.5M in pandemic funds. The city of Charleston received over $21 million from the federal government following the pandemic, and set to allocate the remaining $4.5 million to fund other projects, including a new HOPE Center and a bridge replacement over Beresford Creek.

Charleston Co. school board discusses report card changes. Charleston County School District officials say they’re looking for a more streamlined process to evaluate kindergarten, first and second graders, unanimously voting to approve a policy to make grades evaluated at Montessori and traditional schools the same.

S.C. gas prices see slight decline in past week. Gas prices in South Carolina saw a 1.7-cent decrease over the past week, bringing the state’s average to $3.12 per gallon.

Former Charleston cafe, coffee roasters site to become new restaurant. The three co-owners of Toni’s Detroit Style Pizza in Mount Pleasant plan to open the new restaurant at 1171 Clements Ferry Road where Lowco Cafe and Lowcountry Coffee Roasters were located. The business owners are eyeing a mid-fall opening.

New Charleston coffee shop stands out with quality beans, roasting. Big Kick Coffee opened a new spot in downtown Charleston, expanding its production capabilities of selling upwards of 30 coffee varieties and blends that are fire-roasted at the downtown shop and existing production facilities on James Island.