Gullah Geechee Community Fights for Land Rights on Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island’s Gullah Geechee community is raising concerns over its limited representation in a 21-person task force reviewing the island’s Land Management Ordinance, which critics say undermines efforts to protect their historic land and cultural legacy.

According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, only three Gullah Geechee residents serve on the task force, a number community advocates describe as token participation rather than meaningful inclusion in decisions that directly affect their livelihoods and heritage.

“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,” said Tai Scott, a community activist and business owner, in a statement released by the Legal Defense Fund.

The Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West Africans who worked rice and cotton plantations in the South Carolina Lowcountry and sea islands, have lived on Hilton Head Island since the 1860s. Their communities span more than a dozen neighborhoods and have maintained a distinct culture, including the Gullah language, a Creole dialect rooted in African and English linguistic traditions.