United Women in Faith Racial + Environmental Justice Event

The South Carolina Conference United Women in Faith Charter for Racial Justice Committee is pleased to announce our second annual Racial + Environmental Justice Event. This virtual event will be taking place on June 22, 2024 at 10:00am. The issue of concern is protecting historically Black settlement communities from incompatible development. The primary focus will be on the Gullah Geechee community located on St. Helena Island, SC.

Our conference was awarded a grant from the National United Women in Faith to expand this project, so this year we will be presenting two guest speakers. One of the speakers will be Faith Rivers James, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League. She will be discussing the devastating cultural and environmental impact of development being proposed.

The other guest speaker will be Amy Armstrong, Executive Director and General Counsel for the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. This organization is providing legal assistance to the Gullah Geechee Sea Island Coalition.

Join us in learning about the proposed development and the harm it can cause to this special community of people and their land. Beaufort County had already established this area as a Cultural Protective Overlay District, but the developer is working to end it. Threats of incompatible development are a concern for other Black settlement communities in the Lowcountry, as well. Please plan to participate. Registration information will be available in the Mission Echo newsletter.

A site visit to the historic Penn Center and the Gullah community on St. Helena Island is being planned for February of 2025. We encourage our youth to come.

Kathy Roys
SCCUWFaith Vice President & Program Coordinator and Charter for Racial Justice committee member