We know all about the distorted history that has been taught us in the past. And fortunately, "when we know better, we do better".

The MLK assassination is a story most of us are very familiar with and the famous picture on the balcony. What we haven't heard is the story from the Kneeling Man, who was there when it happened.

We often talk about our ancestors, but being able to find and speak their names is a powerful gift to have. Taking the time to do the research on our family tree is often hard to do, but details about their lives paints an incredible image of what they experienced and sometimes, who they were and what they did. Saying their name no only honors them, but enables us to remember their sacrifices.

When most people think about slavery, they instantly think that tobacco and cotton were the main crops. And yes, they were, BUT along the sea island's the major cash crops were rice, indigo and sea island cotton. The type of cotton that was grown here was not only difficult to grow, but it was a better more luxurious fiber that Gullah Geechee ingenuity and skills made it sought after worldwide.

Today, taking time to celebrate the holidays has become tradition. For enslaved people, the coming new year might have been a time of fear, dread or the anxious time that they've been waiting for to escape.

The Watch Night Service is a tradition the grew out of slavery, yet still is an important part of how, for many African Americans, is the only way that a new year should be brought in.

The practice, called “Freedom Night” or named the Watch Night Service, began in 1862, when anxious slaves were waiting on confirmation of their freedom based on the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, the service continues in the church with prayers of gratitude for another year and blessings over what’s to come.

For generations, celebrating Kwanzaa from December 26th to January 1st has been a end of the year holiday tradition that's becoming more widely known and practiced.

So what is Kwanzaa and why are the seven prinicples so important to our daily living? Intrigued? Here's a deep dive into this valued African American holiday that's based on family, empowerment and economic development.

Living on an island and the isolation that comes with it, made Gullah holidays a little different, but special none the less. Getting ready for the sea island holidays was a year long process which made the seasonal harvests an an important part in the preparation that involved the entire family, from children to the elders.

Sometimes, we forget that the ancestors left behind all of the tools that we need for success.

Through creative storytelling, proverbs, and skills, they passed us all a toolbox full of ways that they, even though they were beaten, found ways not to be broken.

West African tradition says that one should speak for themselves and for the ancestors who came before you. Gullah Chef, author and 6th generation farmer, Matthew Raiford is doing exactly that! He has taken his love for the culture, his roots and food and incorporated all of it into a lifestyle and business that is surly making the ancestors proud!

In Gullah culture, the food is deeply rooted in rice and seafood dishes that grew out of the diaspora and its West African influences. Gullah Chef BJ Dennis has built a reputation for not just amazing flavors, but for spreading knowledge about the ingredient's origins.

His Gullah cooking may be what he's known for on a national stage but to him, its important to continue to use the techniques of the ancestors when he's blending his ingredients and every plate comes with a serving of the richly significant history of the food.

Chef BJ has been featured in local, national and international cooking events including the BB&T Wine+Food Festival, Netflix 'High on the Hog', P.B.S 'Moveable Feast' and Bravo's 'Top Chef' and sharing his story with me.