ABOUT THE
HERITAGE PROJECT

Eleanor Kinlaw-Ross was born into the Gullah culture and matured on  coastal James Island in South Carolina, on the former Solomon Legare plantation. This historic sea island also served as the site of the Civil War battle fought by the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first African American unit to fight in this war between the states, and captured in the Academy Award winning movie “Glory”.  It is undeniable that a birthright into such remarkable culture and history, complimented by Latin Honors academic training, prepared her to be the ideal teacher and scholar of history and culture in the many facets that she has demonstrated. She has spent decades writing, producing and teaching audiences about the history and culture of African Americans and the African American South. 

She holds a BALS degree (Cum Laude) from Oglethorpe University in Communications & History and a Masters Degree in Information and Library Science from Valdosta State University. Her professional career  spanned 2 decades in Radio, Television & Newspapers with 10 of those years at Turner Broadcasting (CNN & HDLN News, WTBS & TNT). During her tenure, she managed a prolific roster of Fortune 500 companies and brands in their campaigns, including the Time Life portfolio and the Wall Street Journal. She became the first African American to represent Turner Broadcasting on the National Board of the Electronic Media Marketing Association.

Among her vast profile of talents and many career exploits, she is a Writer/Producer, Curator and Cultural Historian. She has curated and exhibited works at the Georgia State Capitol, the National Archives, Auburn Ave. Research Library on African American History & Culture and at CNN Center for the inaugural National Black Arts Festival. She has curated and produced touring exhibitions in schools and libraries in Georgia and South Carolina as well as a digital exhibition on Juneteenth for the U.S. Army, and the series Georgia’s Great African Americans of Historic Distinction exhibition for AARP Georgia, showcased throughout the state for over five (5) years.  

She has written and produced the audio/book series Gullah Voices that explores the various facets of Gullah culture and the book Dat Gullah and Other Geechie Traditions. In 1996 her play Hush Dat Gullah premiered on stage at the Dock Street Theater in Charleston, S.C. to sold out audiences for the entire run and to critical acclaim, followed by 3 additional works for theater that explores Gullah culture. She continued to showcase the rich and storied history of the culture when she produced Island Heritage Festival showcasing, art, history, theater, music, dance and culture, over a 3-year period.  

During the festival she created the James Island History Trail, where she led a campaign to install a historic maker commemorating the Battle of Sol-Legare Island fought by the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. She has led thousands of students and adults on history study tours throughout the U.S., and most notably on a VIP led visit with the late Congressman John Lewis at the National Museum on African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. She has lectured at schools and universities across the country and has appeared on a number of radio and television programs to discuss culture and history. 

In 2022 after a 10-day life changing visit to Ghana, where she explored the slave castles and studied the history and culture of this West African country holding a cultural link to Gullah, she founded My Culture Camp for children, to teach about the rich history of the African continent and its link to the African American experience.  “Kinlaw-Ross is doing phenomenal work. She is a force of culture, and lives to share it”, noted Georgia State Representative Derrick Jackson, in his introduction of her to the Georgia Legislature where she was received on the floor of the State Capitol in 2019.