2024 HBCUI Intern
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Introducing Braxton Broady, a Savannah, Georgia native and student at Morehouse College who served as a Public History Fellow at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship Program (HBCUI).
Inspired by his volunteer work with Beverly Jones Stone, the first Black woman elected Mayor of Stone Mountain, Braxton developed a passion for amplifying underrepresented voices and preserving community history.
During his internship, Braxton worked with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, researching the history, influence, and impact of Gullah Geechee communities in St. Johns County, Florida. Through archival research and public history initiatives, he helped document stories that contribute to a broader understanding of the region’s cultural heritage.
Reflecting on the experience, Braxton shared that he has always felt a deep connection to the Gullah Geechee story of strength and resilience. His internship provided an opportunity to learn from the community’s traditions while contributing to efforts that preserve and share its rich history for future generations.
Education & Experience
Education
Morehouse College
NPS SITE
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
POSITION
Public History Fellow (DHA)
Braxton’s First Month Log
During my time in St. Augustine I have had the privilege of getting to meet so many incredible people, and hear even more inspiring stories. I work out of the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, where I am working as a Public History Fellow highlighting the legacy of the Gullah-Geechee people in the region.
I have traveled to many sites throughout the low-country, where I have interviewed and gone fishing with elders of the community. Their stories have inspired me to host an event on July 26th, where I have invited some of the members I have met, along with others to have a platform to share some of their experiences and culture. My research journey has been filled with reflection and growth, and I am excited to continue this process.
As part of the 2024 HBCUI Career and Leadership Workshop, Braxton Broady participated in the program’s inaugural Cultural Art Showcase. The exhibit highlighted the contributions and legacy of African Americans in the United States and the National Park Service through original artwork created by HBCUI interns. Braxton’s featured piece, Sweet Traditions: Sugar Cane and Soul, celebrated the history, traditions, and enduring cultural influence of African American communities, reflecting themes of heritage, resilience, and storytelling that connected closely to his work researching the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Pictured l-to-r KaNya Turner (holding artwork by Braxton Broady, not pictured), Jasmyne Kinslow, Wayne Hubbard of SODAS Life Inc., Candice Price of SODAS Life Inc., and Khalil Baker.
Braxton’s Testimonial
“As I begin my second year at Morehouse, I carry the invaluable experiences and rich histories from my 12-week Public History Fellowship with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. As a public history fellow, I had the honor of researching Gullah Geechee culture and history in Northern Florida.
Although I was primarily based in St. Augustine, Florida, I traveled throughout the low-country to conduct research and interview community elders, advocates, and other scholars. In doing so, I was able to make the Gullah Geechee community’s story part of the already rich history of the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
I would like to thank park leadership for allowing me to use my internship to create a legacy at the Castillo de San Marcos by hosting the first ever Gullah Geechee Cultural Showcase. I was able to invite several impactful groups to the showcase:
- The internationally acclaimed Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters, who performed traditional songs, dances and herbal medicine practices.
- COSMO, a local non-profit organization who demonstrated traditional fishing practices and spoke about the threat of pollution and urbanization of Gullah Geechee communities.
- Representatives from the Lincolnville Museum, a museum that houses much of the black history of St. Augustine.
I myself led a living history demonstration of what life was like at the Castillo de San Marcos as a black soldier.
I would like to extend an additional note of gratitude to the non-profit organizations SODAS Life and HBCUI that made my fellowship possible. This summer was not only metamorphic in my academic journey, but also in my maturation to a man of service and action.
INTERN HIGHLIGHTS
This summer, I traveled throughout the southern end of the Gullah-Geechee Cultural
Heritage Corridor to write a research paper on the Gullah-Geechee communities in
northern Florida and the impact of pollution along the St. John’s River on their ancestral
lands and cultural practices. Along the way, I met and interviewed locals, university
professors, and prominent figures about Gullah-Geechee culture, history, and the
ongoing challenges of pollution, suburbanization, and conflicts with developers. Based
at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, I focused on the monument’s and
Spanish Florida’s impact on the Gullah-Geechee communities in the region. As the
culmination of my research, I invited all the contacts I made along the way and hosted
an all-day showcase of Gullah-Geechee cultural heritage at the Castillo de San Marcos
National Monument. The event featured local storytellers, traditional dancers, cane
fishing demonstrators, and community leaders, including the vice-chair of the Gullah
Geechee Nation, local museum and gallery directors, and members from various non
profit organizations. My goal was to create a lasting legacy at the monument, fostering
relationships between the monument’s administration and the community, which could
potentially lead to this showcase becoming an annual event and a celebration of the
community.
