AJ+ : ‘Harvard Instructor, Sunn m’Cheaux, Saving Gullah (Language)’

“You probably don’t know much about the Gullah language. But this Harvard instructor is pretty sure you speak some of it. Sunn m’Cheaux is on a mission to save his native Gullah.” -AJ+

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Rested, Revitalized, & Ready To Go!

This summer break I took much more time for #selfcare, recalibration, & rejuvenation, than I have on a break in a very long time… & it’s made a world of difference! At first I had to fight the urge to go dive into doing everything for everyone without pause (as I always do), but, alas, that “Go! Go! Go!” approach was taking a toll on my body & mind. Now, the cat you see here is rested, revitalized, & ready to go. Chucktown (Mt. Holly), here I come! Exciting news coming soon! 🙌🏾 #weoutchea #gullah #geechee #nostress #enjoy #energy #mentalhealth #care #health #wellness #oneness #shine #gullahteacha #summerbreak #harvard | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎

How Vocal Inflection Differentiates Gullah Words That Sound Alike

Extended lesson in using vocal inflection to distinguish words that sound alike in Gullah from one another.

Young, Gifted, & Gullah/Geechee

In Gullah/Geechee culture ‘testifying’ is part of praise & worship, & essential to paying forward blessings & life lessons… ‘Young, Gifted, & Gullah/Geechee’ is my testimony told by way of stories, songs, & spokenword, a multimedia memoir of the gifted, embattled boy who became the man that I am… saved by grits, Grace, & Gullah. Selah.♡ (Release date TBA.) #weoutchea #bio #oralhistory #autobiography #redemption #survivor #inspiration #live #love #loss #triumph | gullahteacha.com

It’s A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood #weoutchea

Gullah/Geechee Aesop’s Fables: De Bigyai Lil’ Dawg an Ee Bone

Storytelling is integral to everyday Gullah/Geechee life, culture, & even the preservation of our speech. Growing up a preacher’s kid, most of the lessons I learned were taught to me via parables, allegories, & fables like the stories of Aesop. Which made the Little Golden Book collection by Richard Scarry resonate with me even more when I was little, affection that stays with me today as nostalgia.

It is with that inspiration that I have translated some of Aesop’s fables using the illustrations of Scarry’s LGB series for a new generation of kids to see/hear many of the stories unlike they’ve heard before, in the Gullah/Geechee language!

My mind would’ve been blown as a child to hear these stories in class told with the voice I heard them at home. I hope my series has the same affect on kids today, looking for themselves in the curriculum to connect. Check it out & share with friends! #weoutchea #gullah #geechee #aesop #storytelling #littlegoldenbooks #nostalgia #harvard #sharethis | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎🌞

Decoration Day: Gullah/Geechee Roots of Memorial Day

Civil War historian David Blight unearthed evidence that shows on May 1, 1865 newly freed Black people in Charleston, SC were among the first, if not the very first, to memorialize fallen soldiers who fought to end slavery. Their gathering would become a tradition now celebrated as Memorial Day. #weoutchea #gullah #geechee #history #DecorationDay

Goodbye, Spring Semester 2019… Hello, Summer Break!

It feels like just yesterday I stood in this exact spot & took the that pic I posted to share with you the news I’d been appointed the first (& only) Gullah language instructor here at @Harvard #University in its history. Well, time has flown since then & here I am leaving our final #ALP faculty get-together for this spring, feeling eager to get back for the fall.

In as much as my program director (Dr John Mugane) & colleagues, as well as my brilliant(!) students all factor into why I still leave work for vacation anxious to get back to work, so do YOU all–your Love, pride, support, & inspiration–give me the ‘life’ & energy to do this work. Fa dat, Ah seh tenki fa alla weh unnu da do… kindly, humbly & deeply. Selah. ♡

#weoutchea #gullah #geechee #harvard #summer #break #gratitude #gullahteacha #teacher #eachoneteachone #locs #loclivin #charleston | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎

Gullah/Geechee Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet

Y’all ❤’d my first Gullah/Geechee Shakespeare: Hamlet post so much (TENKI!), I was inspired to do another Shakespearean classic for you… Romeo & Juliet, a fave. I hope you dig. Disya fi di cultcha! #weoutchea #gullah #geechee #harvard #fas #ALP #theater #culture | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎

Gullah/Geechee Shakespeare: Hamlet

You ever wonder what it would sound like if #Shakespeare was #Gullah/#Geechee? Welp, I got you. Check it out! #weoutchea #harvard #hamlet | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎

Gullah Geechee #weoutchea Tshirt Proceeds & Progress

100% proceeds from official #GULLAH #GEECHEE #weoutchea tshirts go to rebuilding Mama’s house.

This week, proceeds from sales of these official #GULLAH #GEECHEE #weoutchea tshirts helped to pay for building materials used to make progress on Mama’s house! We’re in the process of creating a cart to make it more convenient for y’all to buy a tshirt (& other merch on the way). In the meantime, tshirts are $25 + $5 to ship, & you can still pay via CashApp, Venmo & Paypal (following) or donate to Mama’s Gofundme (link in IG bio). Lastly, if you’ve already bought & received a tshirt–big up unnuself–please DM me a selfie with you wearing it… I’m tryna do sump’m–i.e. show ya some 💙! Tenki fa alla weh unnu da do! 🙌🏽 | CashApp $gullahteacha | Venmo @ Sunn-mCheaux | Paypal.me/gullahteacha | gullahteacha.com 📚🍎 | “It takes a village.” #WeAreTheVillage