Marquetta L. Goodwine (born 1968) is a non-sovereign,

elected monarch An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, ...

who serves as Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation. She is an author, preservationist, and performance artist.

Biography

Goodwine was a native of St. Helena Island,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. She attended

Fordham College Fordham University is a private Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located. Fordham is the oldest Catholic a ...

at Lincoln Center and double majored in computer science and mathematics. In 1996 she left Fordham and founded of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition. In 1999 she became the first Gullah to speak before the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, giving testimony at an April 1 hearing of the

Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

in Switzerland. She participated in the United Nations Forum on Minority Rights which was first established in 2008. At the forum, Queen Quet recorded the human rights struggle of the Gullah/Geechee people for archival by the United Nations. On 2 July 2002, Goodwine was elected and enstooled as "Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation." Goodwine also serves as the Chair of the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor General Management Plan and Expert Commissioner for South Carolina. She is a member of the 15-person commission established by the United States Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act which was passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. Goodwine is a public advocate for the Gullah/Geechee Sea Islands in the face of increasing storm damage resulting from the climate crisis as well as ongoing flooding due to overdevelopment and poor infrastructure maintenance. Her work includes advocating and the preservation of Gullah/Geechee cultural traditions and resources that are threatened due to

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. Goodwine served as a consultant for the 2000

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

film '' The Patriot'', which featured scenes set on the South Carolina coast of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. She has been an advisor to several historic documentaries, including ''This Far by Faith: The African American Religious Experience'', ''The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow'', ''Slavery and the Making of America'', ''Reconstruction: The Second Civil War'', and ''The Will to Survive: The Story of the Gullah/Geechee Nation''. She also lectures throughout the world. She is the founder of a historic presentation troupe "De Gullah Cunneckshun," which has recorded several CDs and been featured on films and film soundtracks. In 2022, she was awarded the

Order of the Palmetto The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of South Carolina. It is awarded to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and contributions of national or statewide significan ...

by South Carolina Governor

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2017 as the 117th governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was the 50th List of Attorneys Ge ...

, who has sought to preserve the Gullah culture in the state.

Books

*Goodwine, Marquetta L. (1995). "St. Helena's Serenity." Gullah/Geechee: The Survival of Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora series v. 1. Brooklyn, NY: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Marquetta L. (1997). ''Gawd dun smile pun we: Beaufort Isles''. Gullah/Geechee the Survival of Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora series, v. 2. Brooklyn, New York: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Marquetta L. (1999). ''Frum wi soul tuh de soil: The Cash Crops of the Sea Islands''. Gullah/Geechee Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora series, v. 3. Brooklyn, New York: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Marquetta L., and & the Clarity Press Gullah Project, eds (1998). ''The Legacy of Ibo Landing: Gullah Roots of African American Culture''. Atlanta, Georgia: Clarity Press. *Goodwine, Marquetta L., and Ronald Goodwine (1994). ''Brother and Sister... Heart to Heart'' (1994). Brooklyn, New York: Extended Kinship Appeal, Inc. *Goodwine, Marquetta L. (2005). "365-66." Gullah/Geechee: The Survival of Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora series v. 4. St. Helena Island, SC: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Marquetta L. (2006). "Chas'tun an e Islandts." Gullah/Geechee: The Survival of Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora series v. 1. Brooklyn, NY: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Ronald "Kuumba", and Marquetta L. "Queen Quet" Goodwine (2004). ''T'inkin' 'bout Famlee: A Geechee Down Novella''. St. Helena, South Carolina: Kinship Publications. *Goodwine, Marquetta L. (2013). "Love's Sea Island Song" St. Helena Island, SC: Kinship Publications.

References

External links

"Gullah/Geechee Nation."Disya Who WEBE!", Gullah/Geechee Nation.Gullah Geechee Angel Network.
from The African Soul site.
"Queen Quet, Head-of-State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
*
Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwine, Marquetta American performance artists African-American women writers American women writers 21st-century African-American writers People from Saint Helena Island, South Carolina Living people 1968 births Gullah African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women