The Campbell Women: Della, Lola & Latrice
Generations of Love, Heritage, and Grace
Three strong, independent women have a deep bond cemented by their love of one another, their ancestry, and their land in the Lowcountry. Della Campbell and her two daughters, Lola and Latrice, are modern, professional women whose Gullah heritage dates back to the early 1820s on Hilton Head Island.
Della taught at Hilton Head Elementary School for 34 years, serving as a guidance counselor her last 10. While in school, Latrice remembers being asked if she would become a teacher like her mother. “I always said no because they make no money,” she said. In college she studied business, and her job in Rochester, N.Y. was in human resources. “That was my original career, and teaching is my second career. I taught a class in Bible study, and I felt like if I made a difference, then I have success. So, I went back to school to get my certification. Teachers touch lives in ways that last the rest of the children’s lives.” Latrice is a 6th grade math teacher at Hilton Head Middle School, as well as a minister at Queen Chapel A.M.E., just like her great grandfather, Solomon Campbell. “His roots carry on and flow into Latrice,” Della said.