Summit on the Circle

Anita Singleton Prather

Keeper of Gullah Culture Bringing History to Life Through Story and Song

Anita Singleton Prather is a native of the Sea Islands of Beaufort, S.C. is the founder and artistic director of the musical performance group Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater. As a storyteller and singer, Ms. Singleton Prather wrote the traveling group's four plays, as well as the accompanying music.

In addition, she has written and co-produced Tales from the Land of Gullah and “Circle Unbroken: Gullah Journey from Africa to America,” filmed with the nationally acclaimed Gullah Kinfolk, broadcast nationwide on PBS and featured on her award-winning DVD. She was also the co-producer, writer, and featured storyteller on various Gullah CDs and DVDs. She partnered with South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) to create an award-winning interactive children’s website that featured her animated character, Aunt Pearlie Sue. In 2007, Ms. Singleton Prather collaborated with the Children’s Museum of Houston to curate the 20,000 sq. ft. interactive traveling exhibition to introduce Gullah culture to young people throughout the United States and Canada. Through her Gullah heritage, Ms. Singleton Prather continues to be a “Keeper of the Culture,” creatively entertaining and educating audiences around the world of all ages and nationalities about the rich unique African experience in America that is Gullah.  She has appeared on CNN's United Shades of America and The Cooking Channel sharing Gullah recipes.

Ms. Singleton Prather is a curriculum coordinator for the “Education of Gullah Culture Through the Arts.”  She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Howard University; a master's from the University of South Carolina and continues her doctoral research in educational administration and curriculum design.