All Eyes on Sapelo: Historic Case Reaches Georgia’s Highest Court in Defense of Black Land Ownership

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 7, 2025
Contact: LeeAnn Morrissette, leeann@blackfoodjustice.org 

WHAT:
A powerful rally in support of the Gullah-Geechee community of Sapelo Island as the Georgia Supreme Court hears a critical case that will shape the future of one of the last remaining intact Gullah-Geechee communities in the U.S. Local organizers, community members and descendants will be joined by Black land rights advocates and farmers through the National Black Food and Justice Alliance will gather on the courthouse steps to demand justice, land protection, and the right to self-determination for the people of Sapelo.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM EST

WHERE:
Georgia Supreme Court Steps
Nathan Deal Judicial Center
330 Capitol Avenue, S.E., 1st Floor, Suite 1100
Atlanta, GA 30334

Online Livestream: https://www.gasupreme.us/watch/

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:

  • Interviews with Sapelo descendants, elders, and organizers

  • Supporters from across the state and country, including lead organizers at the National Black Food & Justice Alliance

  • Real-time reactions and community response to court proceedings

Media check-in will be available beginning at 7:45 AM EST

BACKGROUND:
Sapelo Island is home to one of the last remaining Gullah-Geechee communities, descendants of West Africans who were enslaved on Georgia’s coast and who have preserved their land, culture, and traditions for generations. Today, that legacy is at risk.

A proposed rezoning effort threatens to transform Hog Hammock—Sapelo’s historic Black settlement—into a site for increased development, undermining the community’s ability to live, build, and thrive on their ancestral land. On April 16, the Georgia Supreme Court will hear a case that could determine whether this historic community maintains control over its future or is pushed aside by policies favoring displacement and unchecked development.

MEDIA RSVP AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
Please contact LeeAnn Morrissette by email at leeann@blackfoodjustice.org  to confirm coverage or schedule interviews.

#StandWithSapelo
Protect the land. Defend the legacy. Honor the people.

NBFJA