‘I ain’t goin nowhere’: Gullah Geechee people fight off developers with a historic referendum
Summary
Residents of Sapelo Island, home to the Gullah Geechee people, voted in a rare local referendum to oppose allowing larger houses to be built in their community. The vote was driven by concerns that bigger homes by outsiders would increase taxes and push Gullah Geechee families off the island, threatening their cultural history and environment.Key Facts
- Sapelo Island is home to the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West Africans.
- The island’s Gullah Geechee population has dropped from about 500 in the early 1900s to 30-40 residents today.
- A referendum in McIntosh County asked voters if they supported increasing the allowed size of residential homes on Sapelo from 1,400 to 3,000 square feet.
- Nearly 85% of those who voted opposed increasing the home size limit.
- The zoning change could have allowed developers to build larger vacation homes, raising taxes and threatening the community’s culture.
- This referendum was only the second of its kind in Georgia history and followed a similar county referendum in neighboring Camden County.
- Referendums are rare in the southern U.S., partly due to historical efforts to limit political power of Black citizens.
- Georgia’s state constitution allows citizens to petition for local policy votes if enough registered voters sign a petition.
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