[2] Charred remains of cowpeas have been found in rock shelters located in Central Ghana dating to the 2nd millennium BCE.

[6] Due to lack of social upward mobility many Gullah have left their traditional life in search of better opportunities.

[7] This has led to the loss of many speakers of the Gullah language, and along with years of Gullah being displaced and forcefully extracted from their cultural homeland due to massive resorts and golf courses being constructed, the Sea Island red pea has been viewed as a tool that can be used to preserve their culture into modernity.

[8][9] The Sea Island red pea, as a landrace, tends to have variations in its coloration and size of its seed coat.

American chef Sean Brock claims that traditionally, hoppin' John would have been made with Carolina Gold rice and Sea Island red peas.