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Georgia’s Highest Court Sides With Slave Descendants Fighting to Protect Threatened Island Community

October 4, 2025

Georgia's Supreme Court has unanimously overturned a lower court ruling that had blocked a referendum on zoning changes affecting Hogg Hummock, a historic Gullah-Geechee community on Sapelo Island founded by freed slaves. In 2021, McIntosh County officials had revised a zoning ordinance that doubled allowable home sizes in the community, prompting residents to gather over 2,300 signatures for a referendum to repeal the changes. The high court rejected county commissioners' arguments that zoning decisions couldn't be challenged through referendum, ruling that Georgia's Constitution does allow county residents to vote on repealing such ordinances.

Who is affected

  • Residents of Hogg Hummock/Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island (approximately 30-50 Black residents)
  • McIntosh County's registered voters who signed the petition (over 2,300 people)
  • The broader Gullah-Geechee cultural community
  • McIntosh County commissioners and officials
  • Homeowners in Hogg Hummock concerned about potential tax increases

What action is being taken

  • The Georgia Supreme Court is reversing a lower court ruling that had stopped the referendum
  • Residents and their supporters are challenging zoning changes through legal means
  • Attorneys representing Hogg Hummock residents are defending their constitutional rights to a referendum
  • McIntosh County is responding to the court's decision after having sued to stop the referendum

Why it matters

  • Hogg Hummock is one of the South's last remaining Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves
  • The community earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 as a cultural and historical treasure
  • Zoning changes could lead to unaffordable tax increases for current residents
  • The court decision affirms county residents' constitutional rights to challenge zoning decisions through referendum
  • The case involves the preservation of unique African heritage, including dialect, skills, and crafts maintained due to the island's separation from the mainland

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article, though it mentions it's "not immediately clear when a referendum might be rescheduled."

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

Georgia’s Highest Court Sides With Slave Descendants Fighting to Protect Threatened Island Community