By: Dorothea Robertson
Sherman E. Pyatt, born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and hailing from a family of Gullah Sea Islanders, has dedicated his life to exploring and preserving African American history. His novel, Standing in the Gap, is not only a fictional tale but a heartfelt portrayal of the strength and spirituality of the Gullah people.
The title of the novel describes the main character, a young boy born “under the veil,” with a birthmark that signifies his special position as someone who is “standing in the gap,” between the heavens and Earth.
The phrase “is also a phrase from the Old Testament, when people would say a person was ‘standing in the gap’ for their neighbor,” Pyatt explained.
“It's the idea and the notion of, 'I am my brother's keeper,’ which is so important in Gullah communities and something I wanted this novel to reflect,” he continued.
Pyatt developed an early interest in history that he pursued at Johnson C. Smith University, where he earned his undergraduate degree. This interest soon became a vocation during his graduate studies at Indiana University, where he earned a Master of Library and Information Science.
Those degrees provided Pyatt with the credentials to hold faculty positions at various esteemed universities, including The Citadel, where during the 1980s, he was the first African American academic on their faculty. He lived with his wife and their two sons in The Citadel’s faculty housing for over seven years.
“As the only African American there, whenever there was a question about African American history, they came to me,” Pyatt recalled.
“I was getting a lot of questions about Martin Luther King Jr. at the time, and I realized there wasn’t just one place where you could go to find information and sources on him. So, I wrote my first book, an annotated bibliography on Martin Luther King Jr., and that’s how I began my focus on African American history,” he continued.
He then matriculated to the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston, where he did archival work for 12 years.
Before writing Standing in the Gap, Pyatt was known for his catalog of nonfiction works, many of which are still in print today: Martin Luther King, Jr., An Annotated Bibliography (1986); Apartheid: A Selective Annotated Bibliography, 1978–1987 (1990); A Dictionary and Catalog of African American Folklife of the South (1999); Charleston South Carolina: Black America Series (2000); Burke High School: 1894–2006 (2007); and The Other Side of Skillet: Healthy and Alternative Eating in the Lowcountry (2015).
From 2016 to 2020, he served as a commissioner on the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a federal position under the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“We traveled across states, all the way down to Florida and up to North Carolina, to listen to and advise community folks on land and business matters and then give recommendations to local lawmakers on how to allocate funds,” Pyatt explained.
It was during this time that Pyatt began writing Standing in the Gap. The project, however, was delayed when he was diagnosed with cancer six years ago.
“Everything was put on the back burner. That’s why I didn’t come back to the commission,” Pyatt said. “Then I said to my wife, ‘If I don’t make it through this, here is this jump drive for the book.’”
Luckily, Pyatt’s health returned, and he was able to finish his first novel.
Standing in the Gap is available for purchase here.
For Pyatt, Standing in the Gap is a way to honor the history of the Gullah community and his family, ensuring their culture and beliefs are preserved
Set between 1915 and 1917, the story follows the Logan-Rouse family, Gullah sea islanders who have a deep spiritual connection that extends back to their African heritage.
The novel is written in authentic Gullah dialect, complete with a glossary to aid readers in understanding the rich linguistic traditions of the Gullah people.
Jacob Rouse, with his spiritual gifts and Gullah ancestry, mirrors Pyatt’s journey of discovering and embracing his cultural roots. His childhood visits to Wadmalaw Island, where his grandmother lived, gave him firsthand insight into the unique cultural practices of the Gullah community.
These personal experiences, combined with extensive research, allowed Pyatt to create a vivid and authentic portrayal of life on the Sea Islands.
With the release of Standing in the Gap, Pyatt hopes to spark interest in the Gullah culture and encourage others to explore and preserve their own histories. He remains active in various community and cultural initiatives, including volunteering at the International African American Museum in Charleston. Pyatt is also working on his next projects, which include a novel set in the 1960s and another historical fiction piece about Dr. Caesar, an enslaved man known for his medicinal remedies in the 18th century.
Sherman E. Pyatt’s Standing in the Gap is a powerful narrative that connects past and present, celebrating the heritage of the Gullah people. Through his storytelling, Pyatt ensures that the voices of his ancestors continue to be heard, leaving us to stand in the gap for each other.