Help Save Savannah's Black History
Donation protected
They say when an old man dies, a library burns to the ground. I wondered one evening, while reading a collection of slave narratives, how our human libraries are being saved today.
After learning that the stories weren’t being collected, particularly in the Chatham County area, I got to work. Then I realized that I couldn't do it alone.
Krak Teet (formerly called We Speak Fuh We) is an anthology: a collection of our elders' struggles, victories, and cultural inheritances (including medicines, recipes, and physical and spiritual survival tips).
"It’s history you don’t want to lose because see, you don’t have too many witnesses to explain it. Most of the witnesses is gone." -Steven Williams, 81 years old
Granddaddy and great-grandma's black-in-the-day stories are crucial puzzle pieces to the history of the city, the state, the country, and the world.
Each edition contains oral histories of African Americans over 80 who are either from Savannah or moved here many decades ago.
Roosevelt's Excerpt
[84 years old – East Savannah]
"I caught hell coming up. My mother died when I was four years old. I watched my daddy cut her. My granddaddy had me go out to the woods to get some spiderwebs to stop the bleeding. When I got back, they had don’ carried her to the doctor. That’s where she died. The doctor told my mama’s daddy to have my daddy arrested for murder, but he never did.
My daddy would leave for days and weeks at a time, leaving me and my little sister by ourselves. I remember tryna fry some fish one time and I dropped the pot and burned her. But sometimes we wouldn’t have nothing but some sourgrass to eat.
My granddaddy on my daddy’s side had 1700 acres of land that he bought after slavery. They had them lil houses kind of all around, and there was a big house. You could tell it was plantation, but anyway, he owned a sto’ too. And instead of paying me, he figured he’d get the work out of me for free. That’s why I left. I didn’t go for it. I let my sister go for it. One day, I told my sister to tell my grandfather to lend me $10. And you know, he gave it to me. When he woke up that Monday morning, I was gone…"
Updated Release Date: Fall 2018
Perks
$25 up = an autographed copy (signed by editors, writers, and artists)
$100 up = an autographed copy + website/social media acknowledgement
$500 up = an autographed copy + website/social media acknowledgement + personal invitation to the release party
$1,000 up = everything above + acknowledgement in the book
$10,000 up = everything above + you can write the foreword
Matilda's Excerpt
[80 years old – East Savannah]
"I went to a few marches, but my mama wasn’t too happy about it. She would say, “You’re not going and that’s it!” When she said be in, you had to be in. They were really afraid back then, you know? The Ku Klux Klan have come in our neighborhood, down West 34th street, by where the House of Prayer was, by West Broad. I can remember them having a cross and walking with it. It was something else, you know?
We had two hospitals here in Savannah for blacks. It was Charity Hospital and Georgia Infirmary, which was where the Senior Citizens building is now on Bull Street. That’s where my mama worked as a nurse for many years…"
The Impact
Interrogating our histories and writing our own stories is yet another way that we resist racism, oppression, and half-truths.
It's also how we instill a sense of pride and identity in future generations while also preserving a language and way of life.
With your help, we can make sure Savannah's Black history and culture is recorded and shared in its most wholesome form for generations to come.
Who I Am
I’m Trelani, mama of So Fundamental , which I started in 2012 to help people write their stories. I create safe spaces–online and in person–for teens and grown folk to explore and express their thoughts and ideas through writing.
I’ve worked with various organizations including Savannah State University, The Deep Center, Jepson Center for Arts, The City of Savannah, The Life Design Agency, and The Black Women’s Life Balance and Wellness Institute, assisting over 1,500 people in writing and showcasing their stories.
I graduated from Savannah State in 2012 with a degree in Political Science then SCAD in 2016 with a Master's in Writing. In addition to teaching the art of storytelling, I've published five books and ghostwrote a few more.
Now I want to use my experiences to give back by leading a project that explores Savannah's roots and culture, while financially supporting its writers and artists.
After learning that the stories weren’t being collected, particularly in the Chatham County area, I got to work. Then I realized that I couldn't do it alone.
Krak Teet (formerly called We Speak Fuh We) is an anthology: a collection of our elders' struggles, victories, and cultural inheritances (including medicines, recipes, and physical and spiritual survival tips).
"It’s history you don’t want to lose because see, you don’t have too many witnesses to explain it. Most of the witnesses is gone." -Steven Williams, 81 years old
Granddaddy and great-grandma's black-in-the-day stories are crucial puzzle pieces to the history of the city, the state, the country, and the world.
Each edition contains oral histories of African Americans over 80 who are either from Savannah or moved here many decades ago.
Roosevelt's Excerpt
[84 years old – East Savannah]
"I caught hell coming up. My mother died when I was four years old. I watched my daddy cut her. My granddaddy had me go out to the woods to get some spiderwebs to stop the bleeding. When I got back, they had don’ carried her to the doctor. That’s where she died. The doctor told my mama’s daddy to have my daddy arrested for murder, but he never did.
My daddy would leave for days and weeks at a time, leaving me and my little sister by ourselves. I remember tryna fry some fish one time and I dropped the pot and burned her. But sometimes we wouldn’t have nothing but some sourgrass to eat.
My granddaddy on my daddy’s side had 1700 acres of land that he bought after slavery. They had them lil houses kind of all around, and there was a big house. You could tell it was plantation, but anyway, he owned a sto’ too. And instead of paying me, he figured he’d get the work out of me for free. That’s why I left. I didn’t go for it. I let my sister go for it. One day, I told my sister to tell my grandfather to lend me $10. And you know, he gave it to me. When he woke up that Monday morning, I was gone…"
Updated Release Date: Fall 2018
Perks
$25 up = an autographed copy (signed by editors, writers, and artists)
$100 up = an autographed copy + website/social media acknowledgement
$500 up = an autographed copy + website/social media acknowledgement + personal invitation to the release party
$1,000 up = everything above + acknowledgement in the book
$10,000 up = everything above + you can write the foreword
Matilda's Excerpt
[80 years old – East Savannah]
"I went to a few marches, but my mama wasn’t too happy about it. She would say, “You’re not going and that’s it!” When she said be in, you had to be in. They were really afraid back then, you know? The Ku Klux Klan have come in our neighborhood, down West 34th street, by where the House of Prayer was, by West Broad. I can remember them having a cross and walking with it. It was something else, you know?
We had two hospitals here in Savannah for blacks. It was Charity Hospital and Georgia Infirmary, which was where the Senior Citizens building is now on Bull Street. That’s where my mama worked as a nurse for many years…"
The Impact
Interrogating our histories and writing our own stories is yet another way that we resist racism, oppression, and half-truths.
It's also how we instill a sense of pride and identity in future generations while also preserving a language and way of life.
With your help, we can make sure Savannah's Black history and culture is recorded and shared in its most wholesome form for generations to come.
Who I Am
I’m Trelani, mama of So Fundamental , which I started in 2012 to help people write their stories. I create safe spaces–online and in person–for teens and grown folk to explore and express their thoughts and ideas through writing.
I’ve worked with various organizations including Savannah State University, The Deep Center, Jepson Center for Arts, The City of Savannah, The Life Design Agency, and The Black Women’s Life Balance and Wellness Institute, assisting over 1,500 people in writing and showcasing their stories.
I graduated from Savannah State in 2012 with a degree in Political Science then SCAD in 2016 with a Master's in Writing. In addition to teaching the art of storytelling, I've published five books and ghostwrote a few more.
Now I want to use my experiences to give back by leading a project that explores Savannah's roots and culture, while financially supporting its writers and artists.
Organizer
Trelani Michelle
Organizer
Savannah, GA
