Land is land. Either you own it, or you don’t. Like any other asset, it has a value that can be calculated into a cost, right? Well, interestingly enough, the answer to that question varies, depending on who you’re asking. To most people, the answer is a clear and definitive yes. However, to a Gullah / Geechee, or native islander, the answer might be a resounding no. Confused? Let me explain.

Most of the descendents of the diaspora are really orphans. We might know our direct parents, but time and generations erase our connections to who we really are, as the cultural void is so great. With today's tools, documents and some research, the distance between the known and unknown can become smaller. Author of Descended: Searching for my Gullah Geechee Roots, Keith Rushing not only did the work, he has shown how its possible to close the information gap and uncover exactly who and what he's made of.

America was a slave society and its involvement from the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade to the Domestic Slave Trade might be known, but the details are often overlooked. The Slave Traders or Brokers were the core and very foundation of the economic engine that kept slavery going. But, how was it done? Who were the Brokers? What type of people were they?

Musical influences can come from anywhere, but never before have we been able to understand the cultural and regional impacts that the very sounds that we hear in various parts of the US and around the world come from all around the diaspora. So from African beats to the blended sounds from the Gullah community to Cajun and Northern states, wherever you're hearing music, it can be and has been traced back to its origins. Listen in on a fascinating conversation about a study on where the variety of music and genres that we love truly came from.

When it comes to the Gullah Islands, Hilton Head and St. Helena, South Carolina and Sapelo and Jekyll Islands in Georgia, are usually the ones that are the first to come to mind. But sandwiched between Hilton Head and Charleston is Edisto Island, which just like the rest of the Gullah islands, has a rich and storied history of its own.

Everyone has a story. We often think about all of the negatives that came out of slavery, but it's nice to come across the tales of the good that people did in their community. Many white families risked their lives to rescue and help free enslaved people. Here's one of those underground railroad stories of heroism and the steadfast desire to do the right thing.

Most people don't know that Harriet Tubman was nicknamed the Black Moses and spent several years in South Carolina or that she was a nurse, spy and scout for the Union Army. Her invaluable work in Beaufort County, South Carolina led to the largest emancipation event of the Civil War, the Combahee River Raid, where around 750 enslaved people were rescued. That's just one more of Tubman's amazing accomplishments that she achieved outside of the work that she did on the Underground Railroad.

We don't usually think about the origins of a lot of the things that we say or do, but for every action, or how we do what we do, there's a time proven reason. Even the sayings that we share on a daily basis, like "it takes a village to raise a child" had to come from somewhere. The use of African Proverbs has become almost second nature to us, even though we don't know of why or where it came from.

Passing down elements of our culture is what we have come to expect from our elders. But, when the youth around us not only get it, but are spreading culture on their own, well, that's definitely something to talk about and support! Meet the West Sisters, who are extremely talented and promising young filmmakers who are sharing the importance of culture and traditions with the next generation.

High rates of Black land loss and heirs' property issues have been around since the end of the civil war and unfortunately, acres are disappearing at an alarming speed. The critical state that we're in usually is a nameless, faceless process that is often remains unspoken....until 96 year old Josephine Wright made her valiant fight to keep her land from the hands of a developer into a national story. From local support to a national story and celebrity contributions, Josephine's story represented and highlighted the plight of so many who are still struggling.