Slave descendants on Georgia island fighting to keep protections that helped them keep their land

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

DARIEN, Ga. (AP) — One of the few remaining Gullah-Geechee communities in the U.S. is in another fight to hold onto land owned by residents’ families since their ancestors were freed from slavery. Residents of the tiny Hogg Hummock community on Georgia’s Sapelo Island packed a county government meeting Thursday to oppose a proposal to end zoning protections enacted to protect the enclave from wealthy buyers and tax increases. Landowner Reginald Hall says the proposal to eliminate limits on the size of homes built in the community will ultimately force the Black residents to sell land they can no longer afford. The county zoning board recommended changes to ease those concerns, but elected commissioners will have the final say.