A Vanishing History: Gullah Geechee Nation

On the Sea Islands along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, a painful chapter of American history is playing out again. These islands are home to the Gullah or Geechee people, the descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to work at the plantations that once ran down the southern Atlantic coast. After the Civil War, many former slaves on the Sea Islands bought portions of the land where their descendants have lived and farmed for generations. That property, much of it undeveloped waterfront land, is now some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

But the Gullah are now discovering that land ownership on the Sea Islands isn’t quite what it seemed. Local landowners are struggling to hold on to their ancestral land as resort developers with deep pockets exploit obscure legal loopholes to force the property into court-mandated auctions. These tactics have successfully fueled a tourism boom that now attracts more than 2 million visitors a year. Gullah communities have all but disappeared, replaced by upscale resorts and opulent gated developments that new locals — golfers, tourists, and mostly white retirees — fondly call “plantations.”

Faced with an epic case of déjà vu, the Gullah are scrambling for solutions as their livelihood and culture vanish, one waterfront mansion at a time.

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[mpr]

Young people, 30 and younger, if your family have land in these areas, keep this land in your family when your elders pass!!! Don't sell!!! If they want to change the land, you do it yourself, but keep it in your family. Do not sell!!!

[minniemouse]

I don't understand why the developers don't go mess with the Amish property

[hilhil]

Outrageous. A whole culture lost for...golf. Capitalism, end stage.

[OddWoz]

Seeing those graves behind the resorts is a disgusting sight. Shameful. I remember watching Gullah Gullah island when I was a kid and learning just a bit about their culture through that. They absolutely have every right to keep their land and to do whatever they can to maintain a community conducive to their values and traditions. Those sea islands I’m sure could be very lucrative for investors, but I’d rather them be devoted to cultural investment rather than vulture capitalism.

[kimmiek]

"Forced off the land" that sounds so familiar once again history repeating itself in America.

[jessicaberry]

Calling this gentrification is an understatement. These people have been on this land for hundreds of years. That's beyond gentrification. This video almost made me cry.

[TheVincygyal]

Around 14:30 the man in the white shirt and white cap said: Can you imagine 20 acres of native indian reserve where wall street is today? My answer to that is Yes! Wall street would simply be somewhere else. Why do the privileged think that they have a God given right to unsettle people to build golf courses? What happened to the native indians hundreds of years ago still still wrong today. What happened to African slaves was wrong and the legacies live on today. We cannot dismiss any of these occurrences by simply saying that it happened hundreds of years ago. This will be the second time that the Gullah people are being displaced. The history plays an important role in framing objective criteria for future actions. We cannot simply dismiss it.

[Evaa.Sweetz]

This is so heartbreaking. I can’t believe a brother from New York with roots down here (I stay in SC) is just selling out his own people. The Gullah Geechee must keep their traditions and culture for the future generations..💔

[mikDubb]

At some point hurricanes will destroy all the resorts there. The wraith of the Gullah ancestors be felt.

[consciouswave]

I pray the ancestors are protecting the land of the people. Ase'

[inspiredbynatureinspiredby]

The guy at 9:10 is very unwise but thinks he is smart because he drives an old, use-to-be expensive car. He is an absolute disgrace! You never sell your Land,

[KoolagetheTeacher]

Kwame brought me back to refresh my mind on the history. The origin of Mamas cooking.

[emilynelson]

This is so sad. This land should be preserved.

[Lemons]

Seeing the graves in the backyards of the expensive condos make me sad and angry. You'd think that, like Native American lands, these lands would also be protected.

[boohdahbless]

I live in this area of Georgia and South Carolina and the Geechie nation and traditions runs deep. People need to be mindful and respectful of ones dwellings so that we may all live in harmony.

[jshauntah]

My mother is from Walterboro sc and now I've found that my grandmother and her mother are descendants from here and all buried in colleton I will be supporting in every way possible.

[SeamlesslyAwkwerd]

I despise that guy 9:10 selling his ancestors land, he is literally killing his ancestries culture.

[graphixspot]

That developer should be ashamed of himself.

[Moneyg]

Having land is important. I would never sell land that has been in my family for generations.

[NeneNaturally]

I feel like Kwame Brown pushed this up in the algorithm