SAVANNAH, Ga. — On Saturday, the Gullah Geechee community gathered in Savannah to explore strategies to prevent further land loss and discuss how they can safeguard their heritage.

The meeting, held at the Bull Street Library, provided a platform for community members to delve into the root causes of land loss and articulate the legislative changes they hope to see enacted.

Josiah “Jazz” Watts, who is deeply connected to the community, shared his candid views on the factors behind the land loss. “Capitalism, greed, institutional racism, systemic racism, gentrification… it’s the intersectionality of all of these things,” Watts explained.

Watts brings a wealth of experience to the table. He serves as a commissioner for the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, is a descendant and resident of Sapelo Island, and works as a justice strategist with the non-profit organization One Hundred Miles, among other roles.

Watts serves as a commissioner on the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a Sapelo Island descendant and resident, as well as a justice strategist with the non-profit One Hundred Miles, among other things.

Theresa White, founder and CEO of the Pan-African Family Empowerment and Land Preservation Network, hosted the meeting and explained how families are being outpriced by property taxes and current laws on their land.

White provided examples of families who couldn’t afford or didn’t pay property taxes, who had their land sold and were additionally tasked with paying an additional 20% interest payment on the resulting purchase price.

White told attendees she intends to send letters to multiple state officials, asking them to make changes during the upcoming legislative session.

“One of the things we wanted to ask the Georgia Legislature to do is to change the process by which people redeem their property so there is no 20% interest to the bidder and lower the amount on how much can actually bid on the property to keep it from going so high.”

In the immediate future, local voters on Sapelo Island and McIntosh County will have the chance to make their voice heard on a controversial law affecting historical Gullah Geechee land.

Watts explained how the law enacted by McIntosh County could change the island.

People will be voting to repeal this ordinance, where they said, “With 1,400 square feet before, and all of a sudden, McIntosh County goes, ‘we want to change it to 3,000 square feet and over two stories high,’” Watts said. “[Voters] will be voting to repeal that, and so we want people to vote yes — to say, ‘yes, this is a bad law.’”

Watts said residents should check their voter status and be registered to vote by Monday, Dec. 22, if they live in the county and wish to participate in this special election.

Early voting is scheduled to begin on Monday, Dec. 29, with the election occurring on Tuesday, Jan. 20.