Savannah, GA

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Otis Hayward Georgia Black Fishermen

Otis Hayward 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. Mr.

Dionne Hoskins Savannah, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Rebecca "Miss Sula" Bowen Georgia Black Fishermen

Rebecca Bonds Bowen, better known as “Miss Sula,” was born in 1946 in Pin Point, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded in 1896, eleven miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County. Growing up, Miss Sula was often the primary caregiver for her younger siblings because her parents would leave early in the morning to either catch or pick crabs. In her early 20s, Miss Sula was employed as a crab picker but was persuaded by her mother to pursue her education for a better life. Miss Sula entered the nursing field and worked in various care facilities throughout Georgia.

Dionne Hoskins Savannah, GA NOAA, Savannah State University