Teach Gullah Geechee history through the language itself, with the poet reading in his own voice.
“I Am Gullah, I Do Not Fade” follows “No Sun Here” in Section One of Bradford William Pazant’s collection We Were Never Meant to Beg for Light. Written in Gullah by a proud descendant of the Gullah people, the poem rises from the Lowcountry around Beaufort, South Carolina, and declares that the people, their language, their crafts and their names will not be washed away. Students analyze how writing in Gullah is itself an act of resistance, then test the poem against primary sources, including an 1864 outsider’s account that predicted the culture would “pass away.”
What’s inside:
A 30-page printable PDF for two 50-minute class periods, with Geechee Girl, the author’s own artwork, on the cover
A teacher guide with standards, a timed lesson sequence, differentiation and extension ideas
“Teaching with Care” guidance: treating Gullah as a language, not “broken English”; letting the author’s voice come first; never asking students to imitate an accent or putting heritage speakers on the spot
Before Reading: a quick write and “Words That Crossed the Ocean,” Gullah words with African roots
The full poem with line numbers, a Gullah word guide and a listening guide
Close-reading questions in four parts and a craft focus on language as resistance, with a translation chart and figurative language chart
A History Connection: the author’s Backstory, linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, excerpts from Charlotte Forten’s 1864 “Life on the Sea Islands,” a sweetgrass basket photograph and “Then and Now: The Land” on heirs’ property and land loss
A Visual Text page on Geechee Girl (See, Think, Wonder) and a viewing guide for the video reading
Three Respond & Create choices (an analytical paragraph, an original “I Am ___, I Do Not Fade” poem, or a museum label), with a planning page, exit ticket and rubric
A teacher answer guide with possible responses
Audio: the author’s readings of the poem and its Backstory (MP3)
Video: “I Am Gullah, I Do Not Fade,” a 1:37 video reading set to Geechee Girl with Lowcountry sounds and captions (MP4), ending with a dedication to the author’s grandmother, Rosalie Frazier Pazant, co-founder of the Original Gullah Festival
Standards: 2023 NJSLS-ELA grades 9–10 (RL.CR.9–10.1, RL.CI.9–10.2, RL.PP.9–10.5, RL.MF.9–10.6, RI.CT.9–10.8, L.KL.9–10.2, L.VI.9–10.4, W.AW.9–10.1, W.NW.9–10.3 and SL.PE.9–10.1), with notes for grades 11–12. Supports New Jersey’s Amistad mandate.
Preview the video reading: watch “I Am Gullah, I Do Not Fade” on YouTube.
The art: Geechee Girl is the author’s own digital artwork. It’s available on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1888105993/geechee-girl-i-am-gullah-i-do-not-fade
Pairs with: No Sun Here: Poetry + History Lesson with Video Reading.
License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please do not share, post publicly or resell. School and district licenses are available by request.