Paper 2

The Geechee’s Fight: An American Problem

            The Geechee are people who live on a small island off the coast of Georgia.  These people may not be a household name; most Americans probably have never heard of Sapelo Island, where the Geechee call home, but these people are fighting a familiar battle that has affected, and will continue to affect, the lives of many citizens.  They are fighting for their homes.  The Geechee people have a rich history, tied directly to their land, and they are fighting almost insurmountable political odds to keep it alive.  Because of their profound ties to Sapelo Island, the Geechee have earned the right to maintain their way of life without being forced to endure constant threats from governmental and political entities with selfish agendas.

            The Geechee have a very unique and rich history that is traced all the way back to the days of slavery.  Cornelia Walker Bailey is one of the last generations of these people to be raised completely within the unique belief system of these amazing people.  In her book “God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man,” she presents the scarcely known details of the history, beliefs, and struggles of the Geechee in hopes of making their plight a national concern.  The novel chronicles how the ancestors of the Geechee were brought over in ships from Africa to work the land as slaves on Sapelo Island, beginning in the early 1800s. 

            The end of the Civil War brought freedom to the Geechee, who went forth to purchase the very land they were forced to work as slaves.  Three men, John Grovener, William Hillery, and Bilali Bell, managed to make a $500 down payment to buy land on Sapelo Island in 1871, making plots available to other freed slaves.  Every year, the whole community worked together to meet the $500 down payment.  Finally, in 1874, the land “belonged lock, stock and barrel to black people” (Bailey 48-50).  This accomplishment, achieved by these strong survivors so soon after the end of the Civil War, was a monumental feat.  Unfortunately, even with having beat the almost insurmountable odds of slavery, the fight to keep this hard-earned land was just beginning.

            By the 1940s, Sapelo Island had five thriving communities with more than 450 people.  From mere slaves, considered the property of the white man, to having their own communities is an amazing amount of growth; however, they were still near the bottom of the societal barrel.  There are not many tales of the ‘little guy’ winning; but this is certainly one of them.  Many would agree that this adventure of the Geechee, achieving all of these accomplishments with such atrocious odds against them, deserves a happy ending.  Unfortunately, the Geechee are far from such an outcome.

The struggles of overcoming slavery were just the beginning for the Geechee.  Even though they were finally granted freedom, the Geechee were not allowed American rights.  Bailey recounts in her novel encounters between the Geechee and Richard Reynolds, who was very wealthy.  Reynolds owned and controlled most of the island.  If someone wanted a job, they worked for Mr. Reynolds.  Reynolds also owned the only ferry that provided transportation on and off of the island; if he deemed that someone couldn’t use it, they were stuck.  Many of America’s citizens have been mistreated, but the Geechee were particularly affected; at this point, the Geechee were torn from their homeland, forced to work as slaves, then granted prejudiced freedom, just to be controlled, by those who had money or power with an agenda that did not include the Geechee, in a way that America deemed legal.  A saga in the American history books to be particularly ashamed of.

“God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man” goes on to explain how the Geechee were manipulated and forced to leave their properties, vacating the areas desired by the rich and powerful.  Methods to force the Geechee to move would begin as bribes and would go as far as threats.  Although this is a country that preaches freedom and equality, those with money and power have ways to get what they want.  Left to their own devices and coming from slavery with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, the Geechee simply did not have the funds or means to fight back in a way that would make an impact to their oppressors.

The Geechee have first-hand accounts of such unfortunate activity.  When Cornelia Walker Bailey’s father did not respond to the various bribes offered by Reynolds, he was told, “Well, Hicks, you know it’d be too bad if you lose your job and have to go to the mainland and your family have to fend for themselves” (Bailey 99).  With no alternative, the Bailey family moved.  These methods, in a span of just about ten years, caused the Geechee to go from five communities with over 450 people to just one community with only about 70 people.  Even with having grown to over 450, the Geechee still were not able to create the funds that would have made an impact to those closing in on them.  All of this devastation happened to the Geechee just because a powerful entity wanted what the Geechee had, and the Geechee, with minute sums of money, were powerless to stop it, an unfortunate pattern many Americans have endured.

Today, the Geechee still face threats to the last bit of land they have left.  One of the largest, most threatening risks is the raising of taxes on the Geechee’s property.  According to the article “Taxes Threaten an Island Culture in Georgia” by Kim Severson, a resident named Annie Watts received an increase of nearly 540% in her taxes from the previous year.  All of the Geechee have been subjected to such tax increases like those that Annie has received and are inclined to wonder if this increase is a way of nudging them further to the fringes.  Cornelia Walker Bailey is quoted in Severson’s article stating, “I think it’s an effort to erode everyone out of the last private sector of this island.”  This fear is well-placed.  Many Americans have been pushed out of their homes to make way for highways and stores.  Recently, a Walmart was proposed to be built on Route 309 in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.  Against all protests of the locals, a Walmart is now open for business at that location.  In America, money is power and those in political positions tend to create mutually-beneficial relationships together leaving those without substantial amounts of money left to their own devises.  Building a Walmart attracts more people to the area creating a larger flow of money which, in turn, brings in more money for governmental officials.  If enough money and power are involved, anything can be done at the expense of many people for the benefit of just a few. 

Sapelo Island is a beautiful area, making it a desirable place for vacation homes of the rich and privileged.  Currently, the State of Georgia owns 97% of the island; the other 3% consists of the 400 acres that makes up Hog Hammock, the last remaining community of the Geechee (Severson 1).  With the Geechee gone, the entire island could be developed, allowing the State of Georgia to make a lot more money.  But the Geechee have learned that they can fight back.  The Geechee became aware that they could fight back legally, since “Reynolds’ widow sold huge land parcels” (Lange 2).  The land Reynolds’ widow was selling land that wasn’t legally hers to sell.  With the Geechee being wrongfully forced from their land and that land subsequently being sold, the rightful owners of this beautiful island are taking a stand.  The Geechee decided to fight back legally and the “land ownership disputes stemming from the Reynolds era are making their way through the courts in a class-action lawsuit” (Lange 2).  Even with these lawsuits years in the making and a long road ahead, the Geechee have a chance to regain what is legitimately theirs.  The Geechee struggle needs to be made common knowledge and maybe then they could become role models for all the other Americans who have been taken advantage of by the “big guys.”

The story of the rich and powerful taking advantage of those less privileged has been replayed countless times throughout history.  The Geechee are one of a kind, and it would be a devastating loss to have the Geechee and their way of life become another narrative in the history books.  The land that makes up Sapelo Island is a vital part of the Geechee culture.  This land was the reason they were made to become slaves.  This land allowed them to survive when they were freed from slavery and left with only the clothes on their backs.  Without that land, they are hardly Geechee just like those being wrongly affected by those in power are hardly being treated as Americans.

If people as unique as the Geechee can be pushed to the wayside by those with money and power, then average Americans wouldn’t be given a second thought before being forced to relocate.  The fight that the Geechee are engaged in is not just their battle for their land; it is an American struggle against the injustices that have occurred time and time again in this country.  In a country that preaches freedom and equality for all, government officials and those with money are getting specialized treatment to fit their needs, without a second thought towards those who are affected by their decisions.