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Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization
Society, Inc. (SICARS)

Sweetgrass Basket WeavingSICARS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to preserve and revitalize the Hogg Hummock Community which is located on Sapelo Island, Georgia.

SICARS was founded in 1993 by Hogg Hummock resident and non-resident descendants who wanted to organize the future of their community while educating all visitors of the island of the 208 year African nation on Sapelo. SICARS was incorporated in 1994, has over 600 members, and continues to grow each year.

Hogg Hummock is the last intact Geechee/Gullah Community in the Sea Islands of Georgia and is comprised of direct descendants of slaves brought to Sapelo in 1802. Geechee/Gullah * people still maintain many elements of the unique West African culture, language, and traditions brought over from the “Rice Coast” their ancestors and continued on the isolated Sea Islands from South Carolina to Northern Florida.

*Geechee is from the Kissi Tribe in West Africa (pronounced Geezee).

The Reality
96% of the island surrounding Hogg Hummock is owned by the state and cannot be purchased for development. This, coupled with the limited access to the community on the island (ferry or private boat), creates an environment that makes community members (who have called Africa by Sapelo home for many generations) subject to stress and fracturing from land loss, speculative developers, racism, and lack of job opportunities.

SICARS Initiatives

Community Education
SICARS believes that our community can take responsibility for our future only to the extent that we can develop an accountable, culturally educated, and well-informed membership.

Land Use and Community Planning
SICARS purpose is to address systemic threats to the survival of the community through land retention strategies, land use planning, and policy reform. These threats include tax and government planning agendas which directly affect our community and encourage or directly create the loss of descendant-owned land. A Community Land Trust has been developed and implemented by SICARS.

Sustainable Economic Development
The human community within our rural and resource-dependent environment holds the key to environmental growth and development. The challenge for SICARS and Hogg Hummock is to redirect today's economy both to sustain the environment and culture, and to position those descendants trapped in the economic bottom to take advantage of opportunities presented by our ever changing economic trends.

New SICARS Multi-Use Facilities Building

SICARS' New Multi-Use Facilities Building [more photos]

Current Projects

  • Documentation and maintenance of Behavior Cemetery, the Geechee/Gullah community’s 200 year-old cemetery

  • Development of a Cultural Interpretive Village where Geechee/Gullah history, lore, and crafts will be demonstrated
  • Geechee/Gullah course offered thru Savannah State University spring 2010
  • Implementation of Hogg Hummock Community Land Use Plan
  • Promotion of cultural tourism events organized to educate the wider public about our Geechee Culture and also as fund raising activities

Progress to Date

SICARS has developed a land-use plan, completed restoration of the Raccoon Bluff Church, built a Multi-use facilities building for SICARS, implemented a Community Land Trust to hold and protect land for our Geechee/Gullah Community, gathered valuable contacts and resources, the restoration of the Farmers Alliance Hall building, the opening of the Farmers Alliance Hall Geechee Gullah Museum, and made significant progress in increasing our organizational capacity. As a community, we have maintained ownership of our land for over 130 years despite great obstacles in our way. While it is important to look at our success, it is also important to look toward the future and implement solutions to long-standing problems.

 

First African Baptist Church - Raccoon Bluff
(before and after)

(MORE PHOTOS HERE)

SICARS Board Members

BOARD PRESIDENT
Charles Hall
Retired Lt. Col. in Air Force Reserve. Owned chain of physical therapy clinics in Ohio. Lives on Sapelo Island and on Hilton Head, S.C.

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT
Vacant

BOARD TREASURER
Herbert Jerome Dixon
Honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps. Has an accounting degree from Morgan State. Makes sweetgrass baskets.

BOARD SECRETARY
Gracie L. Chandler
Retired teacher/school media specialist who lives in Jacksonville, Fla.
Member of Bethel Baptist Institutional Church.

BOARD MEMBER
Ulysses Simpkins, Jr.
Retired educator, Chatham County School System

BOARD MEMBER
Karen Grovner Hillery
Medical billing/insurance specialist. Heads Sunday School at First African Baptist, Sapelo Island.

BOARD MEMBER
Edna Laverne Holmes
Customer Service Manager for the City of Brunswick. Daughter of Eldora Cabral.

BOARD MEMBER
Cornelia Walker Bailey
Sapelo Island historian, storyteller and business owner. Author of memoir God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man and Sapelo Voices .

BOARD MEMBER
Willie Mae Robinson
Retired Savannah State University assistant professor of social work/administrative. Volunteers with seniors, prison ministry.

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