South Carolina H 5558: 2026 Gullah Festival

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5558 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 22, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5558

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF THE 
ORIGINAl GULLAH FESTIVAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION FOR ITS 
MEANINGFUL INFLUENCE IN PRESERVING THE HISTORIC GULLAH CULTURE AND ITS ECONOMIC 
CONTRIBUTION TO THE STATE'S VITAL TOURISM INDUSTRY.

Whereas, the members of 
the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to learn that the 2026 
Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina will be held from May 22-May 24 at 
the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, located on Bay Street in the heart of 
Beaufort; and

Whereas, for forty 
years, the goal of the Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina has been to 
reclaim the lilting beauty of the Gullah dialect and the intriguing mystery of 
the disappearing Gullah culture for future generations, a rich culture with a 
mixture of West African legacy, as well as Native American and African American 
heritage; and

Whereas, the festival 
also fosters arts in education by providing scholarships to worthy students, 
and the organizers seek to engender a deeper awareness of, and appreciation 
for, the Gullah culture; and

Whereas, first held in 
1986 by natives of Beaufort, the festival is a three-day celebration of the 
historically significant Sea Island heritage and focuses on education and 
cultural preservation of the African American Gullah heritage of the Lowcountry; 
and 

Whereas, highlights 
include a plethora of consumer, educational, and historical workshops; a fine 
arts exhibit; demonstrations; and a wide range of music and food, something to 
please everyone; and 

Whereas, a nonalcoholic 
festival taking place every Memorial Day weekend, the Original Gullah Festival has 
remained family-oriented and provides an excellent venue for a variety of 
reunion activities and friendly gatherings, which reflect an evocative 
component of Gullah culture; and 

Whereas, from its 
humble beginnings of about thirty-five attendees, tourists numbering in the 
tens of thousands now attend the festival annually from forty-two states and 
from such foreign countries as Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Canada, 
Australia, England, Germany, and Guadeloupe; and 

Whereas, the South 
Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the profound influence the 
Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina has had on retaining the benefits of 
Gullah culture for posterity and for the dedicated work of its enthusiastic 
organizers in producing a quality event for visitors from around the world to 
the Lowcountry. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, recognize and honor the significant impact of the Original Gullah 
Festival of South Carolina and express appreciation for its meaningful 
influence in preserving the historic Gullah culture and its economic 
contribution to the state's vital tourism industry.

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This web page was last updated on April 22, 2026 at 10:52 AM