Dr. Crystal Singleton, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Journey Black Foundation and vice chair of the Okefenokee Heri tage Center’s Black Heritage Exhibit Committee, led Georgia State University students on a Black Heritage Study Tour last week.
The tour led by the Waycross native, included Dr. Toivo Asheeke, professor of Africana Studies, and enabled students to explore connections between the Okefenokee Swamp and the Gullah Geechee Corridor on the Atlantic Coast.
Titled “From the Okefenokee to Igbo Landing,” the educational experience brought students to the Okefenokee Swamp, the Okefenokee Heritage Center, and Igbo Landing on St. Simons Island.
The tour supported an ongoing research and heritage preservation initiative developed and led by Dr. Singleton through Journey Black Foundation to explore, document, and share historical, familial, and cultural connections between the Okefenokee Swamp region and the Gullah Geechee Corridor. Drawing on her ancestral ties to these communities, Dr. Singleton is working to bring greater visibility to their interconnected histories and preserve that knowledge for future generations.
The visit provided an opportunity to engage with this developing work through place-based learning, scholarly discussion, and community history. The local portion highlighted the importance of local stories and ancestral knowledge in understanding Black heritage across Southeast Georgia.
The program featured a Zoom conversation with Dr. J. Vern Cromartie, professor and department chair of sociology at Contra Costa (Calif.) College. His participation gave students an additional opportunity to discuss the history and heritage of the area.
Through the initiative, Dr. Singleton and Journey Black Foundation are bringing students, scholars, and community knowledge together while highlighting Waycross and the Okefenokee region as meaningful places for Black heritage research and education.
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