Gullah Geechee Chamber joins S.C. Small Business Chamber

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The Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce has joined the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce as an association member.

Gullah Geechee chamber President and CEO Marilyn Hemingway, will serve on the small business chamber's board of directors, according to a news release from the S.C. Small Business Chamber.

The Gullah Geechee chamber, based in Georgetown, raises awareness of the opportunity, profitability and sustainability of businesses and organizations that support the Gullah community, a group of African Americans stretching from Florida to North Carolina.

Concentrated in the Lowcountry regions of South Carolina and Georgia, the Gullah developed a creole language and a culture rich in African influence. The Gullah people and their language are also called Geechee.   

“We are very pleased to be part of the SCSBCC,” Hemingway said in the release. “It will benefit our advocacy for the cooperative economy opportunity, environmental justice and green, renewable energy as a conduit for small business growth.”

Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the small business chamber, said the Gullah Geechee chamber will be an asset to the statewide organization, which also includes the S.C. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a member. 

“We applaud Ms. Hemingway for founding a chamber to serve unique and underserved businesses that have a common link to the heritage of the coastal community,” Knapp said. “We expect that this formal relationship between our two chambers will be a benefit to both.”