Daughters of the Dust

Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film written and directed by Julie Dash. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah women at the turn of the 20th century and focuses on the family's migration from the Sea Islands to the American mainland.

Daughters of the Dust" chronicles two very pivotal days in the life of the Peazant family, descendants of slaves who reside on islands near South Carolina and Georgia. Against the wishes of the family matriarch, Nana, the younger Peazants are planning to leave the island for the mainland. Viola Peazant, who has turned her back completely on the African folk-ways still practiced by Nana, is elated at the family's decision to "cross over" and has brought a photographer to capture the event for posterity. However, the going-away picnic draws two unexpected guests: Yellow Mary Peazant, who has been away in Cuba for many years, and her companion (lover?) Trula.