As the historical Gullah-Geechee communities of the southeastern United States fight to maintain their culture and homes, the struggle has extended to the resting places of past generations. A group representing the Gullah-Geechee people in South Carolina has won a partial victory over access to a burial ground where their relatives and neighbors continue to be laid to rest.

Fight over access to cemetery

As Capital B News reported, a group of Gullah-Geechee residents on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island, which is considered to be the centre of Gullah-Geechee culture, are currently involved in a lawsuit they filed against several landowners over access to the Big House Cemetery. The plaintiffs allege that several landowners situated near the cemetery have erected locked gates that restrict access to the cemetery for activities such as funerals and burials. Lawyers for the homeowners, meanwhile, have argued that their property has been damaged and littered with trash by those using the grounds. The defendants have claimed that the cemetery can still be accessed by a different road than the ones that have been gated, while the plaintiffs say that the remaining access road is inadequate for vehicles, limiting their ability to use the cemetery.

Preliminary victory for Gullah-Geechee plaintiffs

The dispute places members of the historic Gullah-Geechee community, descendants of enslaved West Africans who formed island communities in southeastern U.S. states such as South Carolina, against more recent arrivals who have been purchasing land and gentrifying these areas. In the case of Big House Cemetery, the cemetery itself is owned by community member Sheila Middleton, who, along with her daughter Tamika Middleton, are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Landowners Theresa Aigner, Robert Cody Harper and Walter Robert Harper Jr. own surrounding lands and have erected the disputed barriers. On Feb. 20, the plaintiffs achieved a partial victory when circuit court judge Carmen T. Mullen issued a temporary injunction requiring the gates be opened for funeral services and for cemetery maintenance. The order, however, requires advance written requests from the plaintiffs to access the cemetery, as well as a $5,000 bond from the plaintiffs for possible repairs due to vehicle damage.

Communities remain under threat

The fight over Big House Cemetery is part of a larger struggle for the Gullah-Geechee people, as they deal with migration and gentrification that threatens their existence as distinct communities with a unique culture. In South Carolina, much of the community’s land has been repurposed for resorts and golf courses. A Gullah-Geechee community in Georgia recently scored a victory with the repeal of a zoning law that allowed for the construction of large houses that they feared would price out existing residents. Still, Gullah-Geechee lands face encroachment by developers, as well as rising sea levels.

In states such as South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the Gullah-Geechee people have maintained communities that preserve elements of their West African heritage filtered through the experiences of enslavement and subsequent freedom. Now, the group of St. Helena Island residents seeking to maintain a physical connection to the final resting place of deceased community members have gotten closer to their goal of keeping an important burial ground open and accessible.

Black cemetaries

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