Virginia Mixson Geraty
Encyclopedia
Virginia Mixson Geraty was a writer and outspoken defender of the Gullah language
. She authored poetry and books in the Gullah language and produced popular recordings in Gullah. She was also involved in theater and film productions that promoted popular understanding of the language.
The Gullah language is spoken by about 250,000 African Americans, called Gullah
s, who live in the coastal region of South Carolina
and Georgia. Gullah is a creole language
that combines influences from English and African languages. Although the Gullah people and their language are now a focus of pride for African Americans, Gullah speech was long ridiculed as "ignorant" and "backward." Geraty came forward as a defender of Gullah in the 1950s when prejudice against the language was still extremely strong.
A white woman, Mrs. Geraty spent some of her childhood years on Yonges Island, South Carolina. She learned Gullah from a family servant named "Maum Chrish," and she attributed her love of Gullah speech to those early interactions. Geraty worked for many years as a librarian in the Charleston County
School System. Noticing that white teachers could not understand the speech of Gullah-speaking children, she spoke out in favor of language training for the teachers, but for many years her views were regarded as eccentric at best.
Geraty later produced a popular long-playing record with amusing anecdotes in Gullah. She wrote a Gullah-English dictionary, a Gullah cookbook, and a Gullah adaptation of the children’s book The Night Before Christmas
. She also wrote the script and served as the dialect coach for the award-winning film Gullah Tales in which the characters speak entirely in Gullah, and she served as a consultant to the BBC production The Story of English. Geraty translated the libretto of Porgy & Bess
into Gullah and produced her version of the famous musical for audiences in Charleston
.
In 1995, Mrs. Geraty received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Charleston
in recognition of her efforts to preserve the Gullah language. In 1998, she received the South Carolina Governor's Award in the Humanities. Her other honors include the Pegasus Award from the South Carolina Poetry Society and the Outstanding Accomplishment Award from the National League of American Penwomen.
Mrs. Geraty was still active in her work to promote Gullah until shortly before her death at the age of 89. Even in advanced age she was still controversial, sometimes telling Gullah young people that their Gullah speech was not correct because it was different from the old-fashioned Gullah she learned as a child. But Geraty had many warm friendships in the Gullah community, and in her later years she often expressed joy at hearing Gullah spoken by small children. She devoted her life to preserving the language that she had learned as a child, and to gaining respect for it in the wider world.
Gullah language
Gullah is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people , an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S...
. She authored poetry and books in the Gullah language and produced popular recordings in Gullah. She was also involved in theater and film productions that promoted popular understanding of the language.
The Gullah language is spoken by about 250,000 African Americans, called Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
s, who live in the coastal region of South Carolina
South Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
and Georgia. Gullah is a creole language
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
that combines influences from English and African languages. Although the Gullah people and their language are now a focus of pride for African Americans, Gullah speech was long ridiculed as "ignorant" and "backward." Geraty came forward as a defender of Gullah in the 1950s when prejudice against the language was still extremely strong.
A white woman, Mrs. Geraty spent some of her childhood years on Yonges Island, South Carolina. She learned Gullah from a family servant named "Maum Chrish," and she attributed her love of Gullah speech to those early interactions. Geraty worked for many years as a librarian in the Charleston County
Charleston County, South Carolina
Charleston County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, its population was 330,368. Its county seat is Charleston. It is the third-most populous county in the state . Charleston County was created in 1901 by an act of the South...
School System. Noticing that white teachers could not understand the speech of Gullah-speaking children, she spoke out in favor of language training for the teachers, but for many years her views were regarded as eccentric at best.
Geraty later produced a popular long-playing record with amusing anecdotes in Gullah. She wrote a Gullah-English dictionary, a Gullah cookbook, and a Gullah adaptation of the children’s book The Night Before Christmas
A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
. She also wrote the script and served as the dialect coach for the award-winning film Gullah Tales in which the characters speak entirely in Gullah, and she served as a consultant to the BBC production The Story of English. Geraty translated the libretto of Porgy & Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
into Gullah and produced her version of the famous musical for audiences in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
.
In 1995, Mrs. Geraty received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
in recognition of her efforts to preserve the Gullah language. In 1998, she received the South Carolina Governor's Award in the Humanities. Her other honors include the Pegasus Award from the South Carolina Poetry Society and the Outstanding Accomplishment Award from the National League of American Penwomen.
Mrs. Geraty was still active in her work to promote Gullah until shortly before her death at the age of 89. Even in advanced age she was still controversial, sometimes telling Gullah young people that their Gullah speech was not correct because it was different from the old-fashioned Gullah she learned as a child. But Geraty had many warm friendships in the Gullah community, and in her later years she often expressed joy at hearing Gullah spoken by small children. She devoted her life to preserving the language that she had learned as a child, and to gaining respect for it in the wider world.