The Gentrification of Sacred Lands

Gentrification is defined as a process in which a poor area (as of a city) experiences an influx of middle-class or wealthy people who renovate and rebuild homes and businesses and which often results in an increase in property values and the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents. By this definition, the process of gentrification could be damaging to a culture or particular race of people.

In present-day Coastal Georgia, the issue runs deep in one close-knit community. Much is at stake for the residents who live there. Their culture and heritage are faced with the fate of becoming a section in a museum of what once was. Sapelo Island is the home of Hogg Hammock, the last surviving Gullah-Geechie community on the historic island.

The residents of Hogg Hammock have been fighting the state of Georgia against the rise in property taxes which poses a threat of displacement.

An empty lot on Sapelo Island

Hogg Hammock resident JR Grovener is among the last surviving descendants of the slaves captured and brought to Sapelo Island. His connection to the island is a personal one deeply rooted in his heritage and lineage. “There are about thirty-four original Gullah Geechie descendants of the slaves of Sapelo Island. Some of the residents have sold their homes after moving from the island. Hogg Hammock is the last of the communities whose families can be traced back generations to this island,” said Grovener.

Since 2012, Hogg Hammock has battled legally with McIntosh County and the state of Georgia over their land rights. In 2019, an amended complaint shows the residents of Hogg Hammock sought relief from damages resulting from discrimination based on race, national origin, and/or disability in the provision of housing, housing-related, and other services.

Sapelo Island holds many historic and cultural gems exclusive to the Gullah Geechie natives in Coastal Georgia.

Behavior Cemetery is one of those historic landmarks where the ancestors of residents like JR Grovener are buried. “Some of the tourists would come and try to take stuff off of the graves, that’s why we built a fence around it. We are trying to raise money to buy a new fence,” said Grovener.

The legal battle is a continuous one for these residents. The threat against losing what is left of their sacred land and heritage is a haunting fate that many indigenous groups have faced throughout history. The numerous families whose history is lost and untraceable due to slavery and displacement is a disadvantage to future generations who may never know the stories of their ancestors or their true lineage. The Gullah-Geechie people of Hogg Hammock want to ensure that their heritage and culture is preserved for those who come after them.

Wilmer Banfield, who has family members that live in Hogg Hammock, feels that the culture of the people will be lost as the number of original residents decrease. “If the residents are forced to leave, then they leave a way of life. They might not be able to use their traditional ways of living in a different environment.”

According to Chairman of the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee Lamar Sneed, the Cherokee Nation in Georgia were forced from their land in the 1800s and the land was never returned to the Cherokee.

In Cherokee Nation vs Georgia, the Supreme Court found that the Cherokee Nation had no recourse over being forcibly removed from their land because the court did not have jurisdiction over the Cherokee as they were declared a domestic dependent nation. In 1832 in the case Worcester v. Georgia, the court ruled in favor of the Cherokee declaring them a foreign state and were not subject to the laws of Georgia. However, the Cherokee were brutally forced to leave their land in what is known today as the Trail of Tears after President Andrew Jackson did not honor the ruling.

Just across the Talmadge Bridge and about 45 minutes from Savannah, GA, life-long residents, and natives of Burton, SC has seen some evidence of gentrification in their hometown. Vernon Green is a landowner in Burton, SC. “This property has been in my family for years. My father was a sharecropper and he purchased one acre for each of his nine children,” says Green.

Green says that he has started to see some commercialization in his area which once only had family homes of relatives in the area. “They have built a gas station not far from my house and I have heard rumors of plans to build a shopping center,” Green said.

This could pose a threat to a once quiet and rural community. Many of the residents of Burton, SC along Shanklin Road have inherited their land from parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. The more commercialized the area becomes, it could raise the property taxes on the homes of lifelong residents. However, this is not a concern for Vernon Green.

“I understand the value of land and especially the value of my land. I intend to keep it within my family because the value is not only in the price, but in leaving something to family members,” Green said.

The home he was raised in along with his other siblings remains on the property. Green continues, “There is power in ownership and even if they try to raise the taxes, I will never give up my family’s power.”

Green’s daughter Shannon Green who currently resides in West Palm Beach, FL plans to build a house of her own on the family property in the future. “It is comforting to know that I have a place where I can build a home for myself and my future children. I understand the importance of building generational wealth,” said Shannon. Although she does not plan to move to Burton, SC soon, she does not feel a sense of urgency because the land is protected. “We understand that our property is a part of our family history and I know we will continue to pass it down from generation to generation,” Shannon said.

The process of gentrification is one that appears to clean-up and beautifies dilapidated and poorly constructed areas for the best interest of a community. However, the neighborhood makeover comes at a price that is oftentimes too high for the members who make up that community to pay. While some people feel helpless, others have created new opportunities for generational wealth and land ownership.

The Freedom Georgia Initiative was created by Ashley Scott and Renee Walters along with nineteen families who purchased more than 90 acres of land in Wilkinson County, Georgia. Their goal is to create a safe space and a retreat center, a tiny home community for retirees, and sustainable homes for the founding members of the Freedom Georgia Initiative. The initiative is not without adversity as some see the movement as discriminatory and not inclusive of other races.

Historically, black communities and indigenous groups have been displaced and had their culture compromised by Urban Development and revitalization. As many of these families face financial hardship, especially during the highest unemployment rate in years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of taxation and gentrification looms over the legacy and heritage of these sacred communities. Although gentrification can help communities by repairing and restoring homes, it is important that they members of the community maintain a responsibility to their own environment by keeping it safe, clean, and appealing for those who value their land.

Join me on FaceBook to discuss more about gentrification and your views about the topic.