Georgia Black Fishermen

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  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dionne Hoskins
  • African American participation in marine-related careers began as early as 1796, when the federal government issued Seamen’s Protection Certificates to merchant mariners defining them as “citizens” of the United States effectively making maritime employment one way for Black people to shape their identities. This project documents the fishery-related occupations of African Americans in coastal Georgia 1865 to present and gather information for future work that may ascertain the relationship between their decreased participation and changes in regional fish populations and the fishing  industry.

Interviewee Collection Sort ascending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Lucy Grant Georgia Black Fishermen

On July 14, 2010, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Lucy Grant as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Lucy Grant was born in 1930 in the small coastal community of Sherman Bluff, Georgia in McIntosh County—30 miles south of Savannah. Fishing was essential in her family and community and throughout her married life. Her husband was a shrimp boat captain and they had three children. However, the family connection to fishing did not extend to her two sons, who hated fishing and chose to enter the military instead.

Jolvan Morris Shellman Bluff, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Charles Hall Georgia Black Fishermen

On October 17, 2009, Dionne Hoskins interviewed Charles Hall as part of the Georgia Black Fisherman oral history project. Charles was born in 1934 on Sapelo Island, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded on the fourth largest barrier island in the 1700s, 60 miles south of Savannah, in McIntosh County. Charles earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Morehouse College in Georgia and Physical Therapy certification from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Dionne Hoskins Sapelo Island, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Herman "Hanif" Haynes Georgia Black Fishermen

Dr.

Dionne Hoskins Pin Point, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Otis Hayward Georgia Black Fishermen

On April 5, 2010, Dr. Dionne Hoskins interviewed Otis Hayward as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Otis comes from a long line of independent, nomadic commercial fishermen on both sides of his family. In his teenage years, he worked as a striker on his father’s boat and traveled far from his small hometown of Thunderbolt, Georgia—five miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County—to follow seasonally migrating shrimp along Florida’s Atlantic coastline.

Dionne Hoskins Savannah, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Griffin Lotson Georgia Black Fishermen

On November 24, 2014, Dr.  Jolvan Morris interviewed Commissioner Lotson Griffin as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project.  Commissioner Lotson, a Gullah Geechee cultural leader and federal commissioner, discusses his involvement in shrimp heading and the broader shrimping industry, tracing his family’s connections and the socio-economic roles of Gullah Geechee men and women in the community.

Jolvan Morris Darien, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Ernest L. McIntosh Sr. Georgia Black Fishermen

On March 10, 2016, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Ernest McIntosh Sr. as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Ernest and his four brothers were born into a crabbing family, surrounded by 2,700 acres of coastal saltwater wildlife refuge in Harris Neck, Georgia—30 miles south of Savannah, in McIntosh County. Although his brothers immediately pursued crabbing with their father, Ernest worked as a construction laborer until he was laid off in 1978.

Jolvan Morris Townsend, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Wilson Moran Georgia Black Fishermen

On August 19, 2014, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Wilson Moran as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project.  Wilson provides a firsthand account of traditional environmental stewardship and fishing practices within the Black community of Harris Neck before its transition into a wildlife refuge. Wilson reflects on his family’s history as commercial fishers, detailing the sustainable techniques they used, including seasonal fishing, culling undersized or egg-laden crabs, and replenishing oyster beds.

Jolvan Morris Townsend, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Charles Murray Georgia Black Fishermen

In 2010, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Charles Murray for the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. One of 10 children, Charles grew up in Savannah, Georgia surrounded by a fishing community his entire life. He learned the trade, which he found easy, from his father who was a commercial shrimper and was the first African American in Thunderbolt to own his own boat. Coastal Georgia was the epicenter for shrimping and was where he, his father, and two brothers made their living.

Jolvan Morris Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Olive Smith Georgia Black Fishermen

On August 12, 2014, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Olive Smith as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Olive is one of the original members of the Harris Neck community in McIntosh County Georgia. She recalls how her mother provided food for the family by picking oysters at low tide during the winters and catching crabs. Olive's account is a brief glimpse of what life was like for the women of this fishing community.

Jolvan Morris Townsend, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Annie Lee Thorpe Georgia Black Fishermen

On June 16, 2010 Monet Murphy interviewed Annie Lee Thorpe as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Annie was the seventh of eight children, born in 1923 in Mayport, Florida. She recalls that her family structure changed when she was 12, after the death of her mother. She then moved to Savannah to live with her older sister; however, she was unable to complete her primary education due to her sister’s illness. Soon after, Annie married James Joseph “Joe” Thorpe, one of the few African American shrimp boat captains in Savannah.

Monet Murphy Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University