Photo via Tony Kukulich/The Post and Courier

The Post and Courier recently featured the Penn Center’s December Community Sing, which drew more than 100 guests on December 21, 2025. The event included the annual presentation of “The Nativity Scene,” a production adapted from the traditional Mystery Play that has been performed at the Penn Center every year since 1971. This year’s performance featured the Christmas spiritual “Mary Had a Baby,” continuing the Center’s long-standing tradition of celebrating faith, history, and community through music and storytelling.

Kyle Johnson, a junior at Harvard University, spent the week interning on campus. A history major and running back on the Harvard football team, Johnson took part in hands-on workshops, including textile work, and shadowed the executive director to gain insight into nonprofit operations.

Students from New York’s Colgate University African American Studies course visited Penn Center to learn about Black rhetorical traditions through history, culture, and lived experience, participating in hands-on activities such as indigo screen printing and a guided plant walk exploring indigenous foliage and its traditional use by Gullah people.

Queens College (N.C.) students participated in an immersive cultural learning experience on campus, staying onsite while engaging in a variety of hands-on activities. Their experience included indigo dyeing, culture and paint sessions, and meaningful conversations with Gullah artisans.

Beaufort County School District high school social studies teachers convened at Penn Center for professional development focused on integrating Gullah cultural studies into their curriculum.

Heirs’ property, land passed down without a will or clear title, continues to threaten generational wealth and land ownership across the Lowcountry.

At Penn Center, we are committed to supporting community-led solutions that protect land, preserve heritage, and strengthen families for future generations.


Lowcountry Legal Volunteers announced families in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties will now have access to free estate planning and heirs’ property prevention services, including wills and legal education. This important work is supported by a $200,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, administered through South Atlantic Bank, helping ensure that families can safeguard what matters most, their land, legacy, and future.