Answer:
I believe he means that from slavery they gradually got their way to freedom.
It was a long hard walk that they didn't deserve they were taken from their home country and sold for free labor. So he is also saying that the thing that is away from slavery that they all yearn for.
Explanation:
The Gullah people in South Carolina and Georgia are most known for their rich African culture and language which distinguish them from other African Americans. They have their own creole language, the Gullah language. Their development of a creole culture have helped them conserve much of their linguistic and cultural heritage.