A new memoir by Atlanta journalist Neesha Powell-Ingabire is a reflection on slavery’s impact on the Georgia coast, her Geechee heritage, and the Geechee culture that exists today.

Descendants of enslaved African community have been on Sapelo Island for 13 generations. But just 30 Geechee  descendants of the original 44 enslaved families remain — and the General Assembly quietly passed a bill on March 2 to modify the rules of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority without the input of those residents. 

America’s musical traditions are deeply rooted in African music, and one of the very first African musical traditions to come to North America is what...