Read on Twitter
A small group of slave descendants on Georgia's Sapelo Island are fighting to hold on to their rightful land. Led by a man whose great, great, great grandfather bought the land that his ancestors worked as slaves, this is their story. #BlackLandMatters https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
JR Grovner's third-great grandfather bought the land that his ancestors — slaves brought from West Africa — in 1871. Since then, a series of white millionaires and now @GeorgiaWild have systematically coerced and stolen that land from JR's people. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
Currently, four lawsuits are pending that seek to reclaim that land to its rightful owners. By donating, you can support JR's efforts to ensure that #BlackLandMatters. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
I'll have more on this story in the coming months — it's an incredible one that deserves national attention — but for now what's more important is that you know that JR and his people are fighting for their land — and you can help. #BlackLandMatters. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
At one time, more than 500 Black people lived on this island, owning land where their ancestors had worked as slaves. That number is now down to 43 — and dwindling — as powerful forces try to take what remains. #BlackLandMatters. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
JR wants to repopulate Sapelo — to reclaim it as the rightful Black Land that it is — but have to fight in court to do so. And the courts are, as many are aware, a pain in the ass. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
There's more on this coming. The full story of Sapelo and its pillaging of slaves and their descendants; JR's full story; Sapelo's current plight. But for now, know that #BlackLandMatters and there are people working to support that cause. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-black-land-matters-and-help-save-sapelo
Part of the inspiration behind this project comes from @evanFmoore and his wonderful story for the @Chicago_Reader about discovering his ancestral land in Oklahoma — part of a larger story about how #BlackLandMatters. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/boley-oklahoma-black-history/Content?oid=81399452
There is, of course, the larger story of the theft of Black Land. Folks in Mississippi are also trying to reclaim that land — and are getting damn close to their goal. https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-land-matters-help-save-a-20-acre-ms-farm
