South Carolina woman posthumously wins settlement over Black ancestral land

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March 19, 2024

By Adria R. Walker, The Guardian

Josephine Wright
The family of Josephine Wright, who battled with a developer to save her Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, land from encroaching development up until her death this year, announced a settlement in the case. (Courtesy of Charise Graves)

Josephine Wright, a Hilton Head Island resident who died this year aged 94, spent her last days fighting to protect her family’s ancestral South Carolina home from being taken by developers. Now, two months after her death, Wright’s fight is finally over: Bailey Point Investment, the construction company that was vying for her land, has settled with Wright’s family members after it initially sued for ownership early last year.

The settlement concedes that the Wright family owns the property in the middle of Bailey Point’s planned 29-acre neighborhood, according to South Carolina Public Radio. The company cannot contact the Wright family about purchasing the land, and there will be a privacy fence erected between the Wright family’s land and the new construction.

Wright’s story of an elderly woman pushing back against a Dickensian development company captivated national audiences and spurred an outcry from people such as Tyler Perry, who promised to build Wright a new house on the property, and Snoop Dogg and Kyrie Irving, who donated $10,000 and $40,000, respectively. A GoFundMe for Wright reached more than $350,000.

[…]

In 2022, Bailey Point received town approval to build a new neighborhood with 147 housing units, which would surround Wright’s property. The company propositioned Wright to buy her land, but she refused. Last February, it filed a lawsuit against her, alleging that Wright’s home encroached on its land. The town refused to issue a certificate of compliance to Bailey Point until it reached an agreement with Wright.

After refusing to sell, Wright said she experienced bullying, intimidation and harassment tactics from the company, such as littering on her home and property and the cutting of her shrubs. She said that the company even tried to go around her by negotiating with other family members.

Read more about this case.

Learn how Black families are fighting for their land.

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