Savannah, Georgia.
After working for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in Atlanta, "Sista" Patt Gunn returned home to Savannah and launched two initiatives to educate natives and visitors alike about the history of the local slave trade, through his Underground Tours Savannah.
master storyteller of Gullah Gechee and conservationist of the Gullah Gechee culture , his Center for Jubilee Reconciliation and Healing, a non-profit organization, aims to educate locals about the history of slavery through events and public forums.
This interview is part of "The World Made Local" , a global project of Condé Nast Traveler in the seven international editions, which gives voice to 100 people in 100 countries to discover why their own territory should be your next destination.
What exactly does your job consist of?
I have worked with the American Civil Liberty Union. Am daughter of the land of savannah . I went back and started chatting with people. Now we tell your story. It is the story of my great-grandmother , who left a ship in downtown Savannah in 1839 and was sold into slavery. We had to find our history wherever we could as black people. I grew up thinking this was a lovely city, but as time goes on and I get older, I realize it hasn't been holistic in its truth.
I'm not doing this to point fingers, but to promote the truth . I have noticed that cultural heritage tourism in Savannah exploded after the murder of George Floyd. 85% of our tourists are not African American but they assure that they will not leave the city without taking our tour.
Where do you take your visitors?
I take them to River Street , the Savannah dock where the slave ship landed. I take them upriver and we walk on the stones that were placed on the slave ships for counterweight. We continue to an area called Clusky Storages . I've traveled a lot in West Africa, and these are slave bins where they kept the slaves visible for sale.
We also go to the cotton factory and the market where it was sold. Visitors will be able to find out who was involved in the slave trade. then we go to Bay Street , the street along which 62,500 Union soldiers marched announcing the end of slavery. I want people to know about abolitionists , those brave men and women who possibly hastened the end of slavery by 100 years by taking many risks.
We ended up at the US Customs office, where Sherman and his men received permission to take over the building. I tell you that right here, freed slaves were given 40 acres and a mule . It's a two-block walk, but it's a walk from 1748 (when slavery began in Savannah) until we were emancipated by federal troops on December 21, 1864. Every year we celebrate that day of freedom's jubilee.
Sista Patt: Tours to Awareness.
Why is it so important that even visitors from faraway places travel to this part of the United States?
I am Gullah Geechee. We are the direct descendants of West Africans and number 13 on the list of America's 20 Most Endangered Peoples. But our communities are here and they thrive. That is why it is important that people come, that they come to us to learn about our customs and our gastronomy. To keep us alive . We celebrate our people and our food in the same way that our ancestors did. Our elders are between 80 and 90 years old. If we don't teach our culture to new people, when they leave, we will all be gone.
We are spiritual. We pray to our creator and ask our ancestors for help. In moments of anxiety and depression, we stop what we are doing and go to meet the water. Give creativity.
Where do you go to relax?
I go to the sapelo island . It is an island full of Gullah Gechee descendants 45 minutes drive from Savannah and another 30 minutes by ferry. On the Georgia coast you can go crabbing and horseback riding on the beach. You can hire a Gullah Gechee cook who with "A pinch of this and a pinch of that" will prepare you the best dishes of our gastronomy (he will cook for you, but he won't give you the recipes): hush puppies (fried cornmeal balls served as a side dish) and the low country boil (a stew with shrimp, fresh sea crab, andouille sausage and rice carolina red). Nothing fancy, but tasty and fresh.
Where do you recommend we eat in Savannah?
Don't go on a diet, come on! The gastronomic variety and the different cultures They are one of the reasons to come. Geneva's Chicken and Cornbread Company It is Gullah Gechee and serves fresh and healthy food. The Funky Brunch Cafe It is a wonderful place to go for brunch, with excellent customer service. The restaurant and bar good time offers Creole food and live jazz music. One of my favorite night spots is Alligator Soul , serving Cajun and Creole food with live blues.