Georgia slave descendants submit signatures to fight zoning changes they say threaten their homes

Residents of one of the South’s last Gullah-Geechee communities of Black slave descendants have submitted signatures in hopes that they can force a referendum on whether to reverse zoning changes that they fear will make them sell their land. Commissioners in Georgia’s McIntosh County voted in September to weaken zoning restrictions that for decades helped protect Black residents of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island. About 30 to 50 Black residents still live in Hogg Hummock, which was founded by former slaves. On Tuesday, Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters submitted a petition for a referendum to repeal the zoning changes. They expect a special election on the issue in September or October.