Gullah-Geechee lawsuit says Sapelo residents in peril
Fifty-seven Sapelo Island property owners and other residents filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that discrimination and neglect by state and local authorities are dissolving the last intact Gullah-Geechee community in the nation.
The Gullah-Geechee residents are the descendants of slaves whose families have lived on Sapelo Island for more than two centuries. The lawsuit alleges that Gullah-Geechee residents are required to pay property taxes even though the local government provides essentially no services on the island.
"We want to survive on the island," one plaintiff, 49-year-old Reginald Hall, said at a press conference outside the federal courthouse in Atlanta. "These are our homes. This is our land."
The 135-page lawsuit was filed against a number of defendants, including McIntosh County, the state of Georgia and the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
