Sarah Reynolds Green was born on St. Helena Island, the third child of David Buster & Julia Reynolds, now deceased. She is a mother, teacher, social worker, school counselor, and farmer. In 1969, she left the island to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in teaching. While in Atlanta, she joined the Student Nonviolence Steering Committee and worked for the renowned Congressman John Lewis in his Voter Registration Office. Sarah has been blessed to have had strong parents, teachers, and family members who encouraged her to be the best at whatever she does. Sarah once owned and operated The Conscious Children’s Center in Atlanta and was the Co-owner of a health food store, Freedom Foods, all before she moved back home to St. Helena Island to live.
In 1989, Sarah returned to her native home with her husband, Dr. Llaila Afrika, along with their 5-year-old son, Maideah, to help her mother at that time, who was facing a dispute regarding land ownership. Once she arrived home, she faced challenges, being a vegan in a town with few resources for her love of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. She then began to channel her energy into growing her own organic foods on the farm purchased by her paternal great-grandfather in 1893. In 1999, she then transitioned that farm to a larger parcel purchased in 1865 by her maternal great-grandfather with the help of the young people in her neighborhood, as she taught them how to work together planting, nurturing, growing, and harvesting organic produce.
In 2008, she met Bill Green, a renowned Gullah chef, owner of the Gullah Grub restaurant, and manager at the SC Coastal Community Development Corporation, where she and the young farmers distributed healthy, organic produce to their shareholders. In 2009, Bill and Sarah married and decided to develop a Gullah Cooking School. In 2010, Bill introduced to the young farmers ways of adding value to the produce from the farm and value to their souls, and they provided character development, leadership, and social skills integrated with the historical context of traditional Gullah cooking, farming, and the history of their existence and various paths to sustainability. In 2011, the couple celebrated their first Gullah Grub Cooking School graduation with 15 students, and they have continued every year since, graduating approximately 150 students.
Sarah has been featured in “A Better Place”, bon appe’tit- Lowcountry Roots Remixed, The New York Times- “Stirring Up an Indigo Arts Revival in South Carolina”, and Searching Out the Hidden Stories of South Carolina. Sarah and her husband, Bill, are now feeding the community and teaching the youth the benefits of creating and achieving spiritual, personal, academic, and professional goals while embracing the Gullah culture.
