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H. 5077
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Govan, Hodges, R. Brown, Breeland, Agnew, Allen, Altman, Anderson, Anthony, Bailey, Bales, Ballentine, Bannister, Barfield, Battle, Bingham, Bowers, Brady, Branham, G. Brown, J. Brown, Cato, Ceips, Chalk, Chellis, Clark, Clemmons, Clyburn, Coates, Cobb-Hunter, Coleman, Cooper, Cotty, Dantzler, Davenport, Delleney, Duncan, Edge, Emory, Frye, Funderburk, Hagood, Haley, Hamilton, Hardwick, Harrell, Harrison, Harvin, Haskins, Hayes, Herbkersman, J. Hines, M. Hines, Hinson, Hiott, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Jennings, Kennedy, Kirsh, Leach, Limehouse, Littlejohn, Loftis, Lucas, Mack, Mahaffey, Martin, McCraw, McGee, McLeod, Merrill, Miller, Mitchell, Moody-Lawrence, J.H. Neal, J.M. Neal, Neilson, Norman, Ott, Owens, Parks, Perry, Phillips, Pinson, E.H. Pitts, M.A. Pitts, Rhoad, Rice, Rivers, Rutherford, Sandifer, Scarborough, Scott, Simrill, Sinclair, Skelton, D.C. Smith, F.N. Smith, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, J.E. Smith, J.R. Smith, W.D. Smith, Stewart, Talley, Taylor, Thompson, Toole, Townsend, Tripp, Umphlett, Vaughn, Vick, Viers, Walker, Weeks, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Witherspoon and Young
Document Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18447dw06.doc
Introduced in the House on May 2, 2006
Adopted by the House on May 2, 2006
Summary: Mary Ravenell
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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5/2/2006 House Introduced and adopted HJ-28
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO CONGRATULATE MARY RAVENELL, A TEACHER AT FELTON LABORATORY SCHOOL AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY IN ORANGEBURG, FOR BEING SELECTED AS SPOKESPERSON TO PROMOTE "DE NYEW TESTAMENT", THE RECENTLY COMPLETED GULLAH NEW TESTAMENT.
Whereas, Mary Ravenell reads the Book of Luke and an amazing thing happens: the words of another woman come out of her lips, in Gullah; and
Whereas, a Gullah New Testament, 25 years in the making, is about to be unveiled; and
Whereas, there are 6,912 languages worldwide, and they are currently working on 1,376 translations; and
Whereas, the process to translate the New Testament into Gullah was a particularly long one that was championed by several individuals and groups; and
Whereas, about 250,000 Gullahs live in the Southeast, and an estimated 10,000 speak the language fluently. Prominent Gullahs include Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Congressman Jim Clyburn; and
Whereas, many Gullahs tell stories about having their hands smacked with rulers for speaking Gullah at public schools. For many years, Gullah or Geechee was a derisive term within the black community for rural, uneducated blacks; and
Whereas, Mary Ravenell, a middle school teacher and minister, remembers that even Gullah speakers considered the language unworthy of a translation. She remarked it was like breaking the King's English; and
Whereas, Gullah is not "broken English", but a distinct grammar and vocabulary which originated with the slave trade that brought West Africans to the sea islands in the 1700's. Gullah was developed by the slaves to communicate with one another after traders mixed slaves who spoke different languages to thwart uprisings and escapes; and
Whereas, most Gullah speakers know English, but reading the Bible in the language they first learned, changes their experience; and
Whereas, with the emotional appeal, the Gullah translation of the Bible brings clarity; and
Whereas, this new Gullah Bible began in 1979 with a team who worked with Pat and Claude Sharpe, translation consultants with Wycliffe Bible Translators; and
Whereas, the Gullah Bible has brought authenticity to a language labeled a "broken English". Mary Ravenell's work has certainly increased confidence and pride in a culture that was almost forgotten; and
Whereas, the Gullah Bible is written with the English translation in the margin. Ravenell says the Bible, for her, is a sacred and intellectual experience; and
Whereas, Mary Ravenell believes that being a spokesperson for the Gullah Bible gives her an opportunity to pay tribute to her grandmother and her family heritage in Charleston, South Carolina. She feels like she has moved from Geechee to the glory and grandeur of the Gullah Bible. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the House of Representatives congratulate Mary Ravenell, a teacher at Felton Laboratory School at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, for being selected as spokesperson to promote "De Nyew Testament", the recently completed Gullah New Testament.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Mary Ravenell.
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