Submitted by Janet Loveless
Nassau County Public Library System
Assistant Library Director
February 14, 2019 1:00 a.m.
Fernandina Beach Branch Library
Dr. Amir Jamal Touré will be the special guest speaker at the Fernandina Beach Branch Library on Saturday, February 23rd at 2 pm. Dr. Touré, a native of Savannah and Hilton Head Island, will present a program on the Gullah Geechee culture. His families have been in the low country of Georgia and South Carolina since 1814 and established family compounds in the late 1800s. He is a graduate of Savannah State University with dual degrees, Cum Laude, and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.
Touré is called the People’s Historian. He is the resident scholar for Geechee Kunda, Cultural Center and Museum in Riceboro, Ga., and is known as a Djeli (cultural historian) who shares the history of African people at home and in the diaspora, in particular. He has performed internationally in sharing the history of culture of African people. He is the founder of Day Clean: The African Soul and Day Clean Journeys. History, Culture, and Empowerment are their focus.
Dr. Touré has served as a consultant and writer regarding Low County History Segments for the BBC, CBS and NBC affiliates. He was appointed by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a Commissioner on the Gullah Geechee Culture Heritage Corridor Commission. Dr. Touré is a professor at Savannah State University in the African Studies Department.
The program is free and open to the public. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in this program or activity should contact (904) 548-4660 or the Florida Relay Service at (800) 955-8770(v) or (800) 955-8771 (TDD) at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance to request such accommodations.