Slave descendants on Georgia island face losing protections that helped them keep their land

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, 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. The few dozen remaining residents of the tiny Hogg Hummock community on Georgia’s Sapelo Island were stunned when they learned county officials may end zoning protections enacted nearly 30 years ago 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. McIntosh County government manager Patrick Zoucks says the old ordinance was unenforceable.