About this Event
From the 17th through 19th centuries, untold numbers of West Africans from the fabled Rice Coast regions of that continent were brought directly to southeastern North Carolina--expressly for their skills in cultivating rice, which was dubbed "Carolina Gold" for the riches it yielded local plantation owners. The North Carolina Rice Festival's Ancestry Reveal event was created to explore the connections between local African American residents in the once-thriving rice-growing areas of Brunswick County and the people of the Rice Coast, whose descendants are today called the Gullah Geechee. Join us for a family-friendly evening of sharing and discovery as we reveal those connections and kick off a three-day "menu" of rice-related activities.
Our 2025 PRESENTER
DR. GINA PAIGE, CO-FOUNDER OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY, INC.
Dr. Gina Paige (Hausa, Fulani) is the co-founder and current president of African Ancestry, Inc. In 2003, she helped to pioneer a new way of tracing African lineages using genetics. By doing so, African Ancestry created a new marketplace for people of African descent looking to more accurately and reliably trace their roots. Since then, Paige has traveled the world helping people demystify their roots and inform on identities so that they may better understand who they are by knowing where they’re from.
Paige has worked with and revealed the roots of the world's leading icons and entities including Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee, Condoleezza Rice and The King Family. She also has served as speaker, presenter and/or partner to McDonalds, Capital One, The Walt Disney Company, Booz Allen Hamilton, Wells Fargo, The Wall Street Health Forum, New York Times Travel Show, United Healthcare and dozens of community organizations and faith-based entities. She’s often a go-to resource for African Diaspora communities including the embassies of Cameroon and Ghana; The Year of Return 2019 event, "From Jamestown to Jamestown" with the NAACP; the Back2Africa Festival in Cape Coast; and various African nations' tourism authorities and leaders.
Paige has been a featured guest on hundreds of media outlet programs including "The Breakfast Club," Hot 97-FM, Time magazine, USA Today, "60 Minutes," "NewsOne Now" with Roland Martin, "HuffPost Live" with Marc Lamont Hill, "The Joe Madison Show," Sister Circle Live, Essence, The New York Times, "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," FOX Business News, Reuters, Canal Media Company, Black Enterprise, Ebony, NPR, Metro Source Urban Radio, American Urban Radio Networks, The Grio.com, and TheRoot.com, among many others. Her work is often featured on PBS’ "Finding Your Roots" program with Henry Louis Gates Jr. as well as "African American Lives 1 & 2", The Africa Channel, NBC’s "Who Do You Think You Are?" and CNN’s "Black in America" series. She created and served as co-host of SiriusXM radio's, "African Ancestry Radio" program.
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Paige launched her first business at age eight, self-publishing a children's magazine to raise money for an amusement park visit. While a student at Stanford University, she created and sold “Pik-A-Pak” care packages to help families stay connected with their student children. She earned a degree in economics from Stanford and later an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Prior to founding African Ancestry, Paige founded and served as president of GPG Strategic Marketing Resources. She was honored with an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from Global Oved Dei Seminary University.
Dr. Paige currently resides in Washington, DC.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa, United States
USD 0.00