Digital Equity in a Traditional Culture

In this chapter, the authors explore the history of the Gullah people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. In examining the history of oppression and isolation of Black Americans of Gullah descent, the authors look at how a history of racism and inequity set the stage for the digital inequities experienced by Gullah communities since the onset of the information age. They find that despite the Gullahs’ tenacious struggles for education and literacy during enslavement, many are left behind in this age of digital technology. The authors examine the effects that the isolated and closed Gullah communities, which were forced conditions during slavery, had upon many Gullahs’ reluctance and resistance to engagement in information communication technologies (ICTs) centuries later. They contend that this continued isolation inadvertently contributed to the loss of Gullah land as well as a pattern of gentrification that severely compromises Gullah traditions and values.