Island slave descendants settle Georgia discrimination suit

SAVANNAH, Ga. — An enclave of slave descendants on the Georgia coast have settled a federal lawsuit that claimed a lack of government services was eroding their island community, one of the few remaining Gullah-Geechee settlements on the Southeast U.S. coast. The agreement states residents of the tiny Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo Island will receive improved emergency services and road maintenance from McIntosh County while some residents’ property tax assessments will be frozen through 2025. The island’s Black residents argued their community of about 50 people was shrinking rapidly as landowners paid high property taxes while receiving few basic services, creating pressure for them to sell their land. County officials also agreed to ensure the island’s trash compactor is emptied once a month, while cutting garbage collection fees to Hogg Hummock residents by 30%, and to provide quarterly maintenance of the community’s dirt roads and ditches. “Any differences in services between the mainland and Sapelo are due to geography, as it takes a 25-30 minute boat ride to get to Sapelo.” In addition to the claims against the county, the lawsuit also accused the state of Georgia of operating ferry boats and docks that failed to meet federal accessibility standards for people with disabilities.