From Sea Islands to Success: Gullah Geechee Roots of HBCUs is a traveling exhibition exploring the deep connections between Gullah Geechee communities and the rise of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) during Reconstruction and beyond.

Developed in partnership with the Campbell-Wright HBCU Gullah Geechee Internship, the exhibition highlights how the educational foundations established in the Sea Islands helped shape generations of Black scholars, educators, ministers, physicians, and cultural leaders across the United States.

Centered around the legacy of the historic Penn School, one of the first schools in the South founded for formerly enslaved people, the project connects local Gullah Geechee history to the national story of Black higher education.

Through interpretive panels, commissioned artwork, oral histories, photography, and interactive digital media, visitors will explore the lives and legacies of influential Gullah Geechee-descended leaders including:

• Mary McLeod Bethune

• Benjamin Elijah Mays

• Howard Thurman

• York W. Bailey