Black culture and history will have a spotlight on it once again in Dothan this Friday.
The 1865 Legends Ball is an annual event hosted by the nonprofit group Tri-State Expo Juneteenth Affairs. The gathering was created to preserve African-American culture and educate a wider population on Black history and culture. The theme of the ball this year is "We Are the Gullah Geechee Culture."
Evangeline Reynolds-Gunn, the director of programs for Tri-State Expo Juneteenth Affairs, said the Gullah Geechee people have a culture that is important to highlight because of how it affects the larger society.
“The big focus is the culture’s language, as well as all of the food staples that were brought to the United States from these West African captive individuals. The culture from West Africa brought to the United States, the okra, the Carolina gold, rice, and collard greens. So all the things that we all enjoy here in the south,” Reynolds-Gunn said.
Another reason for highlighting the Gullah Geechee culture is that they are one of the few groups of formerly enslaved people to maintain their language.
“Not only were they one of the cultures that are here in the United States that were brought for the purpose of slavery, they're one of the cultures that still maintain their language,” Reynold-Gunn said. “Many cultures throughout the southern states, including New Orleans, Alabama, Mississippi, in places of that nature, they lost their language. Whereas with the Gullah Geechee [people], they maintain their language and still have it to this present day.”
Aside from the educational aspect, Reynolds-Gunn also said the ball will be more immersive this year with the addition of the Tri-State Orchestra.
“We're so excited to have the Tri-State Orchestra. And so in the fashion of a true ball, they will provide us classical music as well as music that would be along the time period of 1865. And we will have an opportunity to have a true ball. And everyone will be able to dance and enjoy the music from such a wonderful, nonprofit organization located here in Dothan,” she said.
Reynolds-Gunn said the distinguishing factor of this event is the focus on education.
“What sets us apart from other events that are similar to us is the fact that we are education based in that we take that theme, and we break it down to where everyone in attendance can understand and spread the information with the literature that we provide. So being education based, we're working towards our objective, which is providing an educational opportunity, as well as preserving the historical accuracy of African Americans and other minority cultures in the United States,” she said.
The 1865 Legends Ball is May 24 at 6 p.m. in the Dothan Civic Center. More information on the event can be found on the website.
