Josephine Wright’s Fight

By Bakari Sellers CONTRIBUTOR

I’ve long believed in the power of local newspapers; I discussed it recently on an episode of my podcast with Slate writer Joel Anderson. As we see more and more local newspapers cut back on coverage and staff, and increase focus on national politics it becomes ever important for folks to stay engaged in what’s happening in their communities. Something happening right now in the Hilton Head and Bluffton area that has caught both national and local attention is the fight of Josephine Wright. The 93-year-old Hilton Head native has been fighting a development group who has been trying to force her to sell her land in Hilton Head to be part of a 147-unit neighborhood. Bailey Point Investment LLC, the development group behind the concerted effort to take property away from a black family in the community, has spent the last several months dragging Ms. Wright through the legal system.

The land had once belonged to her husband, a Gullah Geechee islander, before it passed to her after his death in 1998. It has been in her family since the end of the Civil War, and Ms Josphine has spent her entire life pouring heart and soul into maintaining it for generations to come. The fight has caught the attention of celebrities, from Tyler Perry to Kyrie Irving, who have contributed to a GoFundMe that was started to help the Wright family cover the costly legal battle, cover property taxes, and construct a fence between the Wright property and the new development. Bailey Point has already taken quite a bit from the community - the land that is now developed was once home to Hilton Head’s diverse wildlife and served as a reminder of what the island once looked like. I hope you’ll join me in working to make sure they don’t take more.

Bakari T. Sellers is an attorney, political commentator, and politician. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for the 90th District from 2006 to 2014.