The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, in partnership with The National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation Officers for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina is accepting nominations for the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission until Dec. 31. The secretary of interior will consider these nominations for appointment to the commission.

The secretary of interior is charged with establishing and maintaining the commission to oversee development and implementation of a soon-to-be-released management plan for the new cultural heritage corridor. Since 2007 the commission has included experts in the fields of historic preservation, anthropology, folklore or a related field, and grass roots community organizers. These individuals should be Gullah/Geechee experts, representatives of agencies or organizations interested in the preservation of this culture or interested citizens.

To nominate someone for the commission, provide a short biography or resume and examples of work in the Gullah/Geechee community by mail, e-mail or fax to NPS community partnership specialist Michael Allen by 5 p.m. Dec. 31. Each biography must contain the nominee’s full name, Social Security number, address, home telephone number and place of employment. Vacancies currently exist in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. South Carolina has no vacancies.

The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was designated by Congress in September 2006 to recognize the contributions made to American culture and history by Africans and African-Americans who settled in coastal areas of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The Gullah Geechee people represent the descendents of enslaved Africans from west and central Africa who were brought to these coastal areas to work plantations. The heritage corridor will preserve celebrate, and interpret their unique language, historic sites, land, arts, crafts, religious beliefs, folklore, rituals and foods.