This week on The Local Take, we continue our conversation about The Weeping Time. The Weeping Time. This is the name of the largest sale of enslaved humans ever recorded in North America. Most people have never heard about this history. It isn't taught in our schools. As with most sacred events and areas lost in history, they are threatened to return to history's dustbin.
A fearless group of people is working to ensure that this story isn't forgotten. Elder Griffin Lotson, the Mayor Pro-Tem of Darien, Georgia, home to the Butler Island Plantation, is in the fight. Elder Lotson is a historian, manager of the Gullah Geechee Ring Shout Singers, and a leader in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. Elder Lotson joins us this morning to speak about this history.
I ask Lotson when and how he learned about The Weeping Time Story. He shares that he was born into the culture. He speaks about the Gullah Geechee Corridor. The corridor spans from North Carolina to North Florida. Lotson explains that his family descends from the enslaved people who worked at the Butler and Hampton Plantations. Some were dispersed due to The Weeping Time.
He speaks about his mother, who is 91. He shares his family history with anecdotes about his mother's grandfather in 1894. He also talks about the present. He worked with the Ahmaud Arbery family, who are also descendants of The Weeping Time. Lotson also manages the Gullah Geechee Ring Shout Singers.
Attend the 2022 Commemoration. Events are listed below. The 2022 Commemoration will be virtually on Saturday, March 4th at 10AM on FacebookLive.
The Weeping Time 2022 Commemoration Events
10:00 AM Wednesday, March 2nd Laying of the Wreath at the Augusta Ave. Georgia Historical Society Marker - Dr. Kwesi DeGraft Hanson, Jena Jones, Servant Emannu’el Branch.
6:00 PM Friday, March 4th Light Up Butler Island Plantation - 436 lights commemorate those listed for sale during The Weeping Time. Mother Eunice Moore and Missy Brandt Wilson. (Outdoor event, bring bug repellant)
10:00 AM Saturday, March 5th Virtual Commemoration Starts at 10AM (Facebook Live/Youtube Live)
2:00 PM Sunday, March 6thSunday worship service in commemoration and remembrance of the 436 enslaved sold during The Weeping Time. Held at Saint Cyprian’s Church 401 Fort King George Drive Darien, GA 31305