Hilton Head Gullah Geechee Push Back Over Land Talks

Driftwood sits just off the shoreline on a boneyard beach, a popular term for the weathered remains of shoreline trees that have fallen from an eroding maritime forest due to climate change, at Hunting Island State Park in St Helena, South Carolina, on July 10, 2023. Isolated on islands scattered along the coast, ancestors of those in the Gullah Geechee community relied on the land and sea. They created their own culture, fed by their African heritage, and even developed their own Creole language. Hundreds of thousands of people are today part of the community — which is threatened by climate change, gentrification, and real estate developers circling like hawks. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

In January, The Root reported on the Gullah Geechee residents of the Hog Hammock community on Sapelo Island, Georgia, who successfully defended zoning laws that protect them from tax hikes. Now Hilton Head’s Gullah Geechee community faces a battle of its own.

Hilton Head Island draws 2.5 million visitors each year with its many attractions, including biking paths, beaches and golf courses. Tourism is a major driver of the island’s economy and development, but it has increasingly encroached on land long home to the Gullah Geechee community. This small, self-sufficient Black community was established in the 1860s and is still a unique cultural center spread across more than a dozen neighborhoods.

Now Hilton Head is revisiting its land-use, zoning and development rules, with a 21-person task force reviewing the Land Management Ordinance. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LFD) has voiced concerns about exactly who gets a say. According to the legal organization, it’s not the island’s long-standing residents.

Only three Gullah Geechee residents serve on the task force, which critics see as token participation, not genuine involvement.

“Our neighbors are once again making decisions for historic Native Islanders without fully including them. Protecting our land means protecting our culture, right to exist on the island, and economic opportunity,” community activist and business owner Tai Scott said in an LFD statement.

The Gullah Geechee people have preserved a distinct culture formed through geographic isolation and deep African roots. They are descendants of enslaved Africans on coastal plantations in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, who later built strong communities after emancipation. They speak Gullah, a unique Creole language that blends West and Central African traditions with English.

Their presence on Hilton Head Island has decreased significantly over time. According to the LFD, Gullah Geechee people now make up about seven percent of the population. This decline was caused by displacement pressures such as infrastructure expansion, partition sales and lawsuits that have led to the loss of land and housing.

The organization also noted that involvement in land management decisions is vital to the Gullah Geechee community’s economic survival.

The LFD sent letters to the task force stating concerns and requesting detailed answers about inclusion and impact. The group received only one reply by March 26. In it, an attorney acknowledged the March 6 letter, noting Gullah Geechee heritage is key to Hilton Head’s identity and is represented on the task force. The letter said community members could comment at upcoming public meetings.

The LFD plans to continue tracking the task force’s public meetings through June 2026.