# Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage
Today, Jacksonville is the largest city in the federally designated Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina, to St. Augustine, Florida.
At our next History Chat, the co-authors of Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage will present a community-centered exploration of the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Jacksonville’s Black coastal communities. In the book and in this presentation, Ennis Davis and Adrienne Burke explore a legacy that has often been overlooked, minimized, or left out of the record by employing historical research, oral histories, and cultural landscape storytelling. Part of the bestselling Images of America book series, these local history books, written by local authors, open a window into yesterday for eager history lovers.
#Attend the History Chat
Explore how Gullah Geechee people and traditions shaped Jacksonville history with guest presenters Ennis Davis and Adrienne Burke.
#Main Library
2 - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 — Register
Note: A book sale and signing with the authors will follow the program. This program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
#About Our Guest Speakers
Ennis Davis is a Gullah Geechee descendant with 25 years experience in the fields of planning, architecture and real estate development. An urban planner with a passion for cultural heritage preservation, Ennis is dedicated to inclusively uplifting people, communities and protecting their culture, heritage and sense of place. He is the President of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s Board of Directors, Groundwork Jacksonville Board member, author of the award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville, and co-founder of online media publications TheJaxsonmag.com and Moderncities.com.
Adrienne Burke is an urban planner and attorney whose love of history began as a child in Montgomery, Alabama and was solidified as a teenager in Virginia. Ultimately, this led her to pursue degrees in history and law, with an emphasis on African American history, land use, and historic preservation. Adrienne is passionate about the intersection of history, social justice and community healing, and the opportunity to work with communities to realize their planning goals through heritage and cultural storytelling and preservation. She is Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the National Council on Public History, Secretary for Florida Avenue Main Street, and a CAMP Trainer with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.
Be the first to know about upcoming History Chats and more!
