Latest news with #Geechee
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Free entry to local museums for Bank of America customers
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — On June 7 and 8, Bank of America credit and debit cardholders receive free admission to several local museums. As part of the Bank's nationwide program, Museums on Us, more than 225 cultural experiences are free. In the Coastal Empire, the following places are part of the program: Georgia State Railroad Museum Located in Tricentennial Park, Georgia State Railroad Museum is a beautiful National Historic Landmark located at the old Central of Georgia Railway Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities. With a fully operational turntable, you have the chance to explore historic railcars, experience the handcar and go on guided tours. Be sure to check the train rides that run on the hour from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Old Fort Jackson Old Fort Jackson is a National Historic Landmark offering daily cannon firings and exciting interactive programs for adults, kids and families. It features historical weapons demonstrations and interactive programming for families. Daily cannon firings occur at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pin Point Heritage Museum (Saturday only) At the Pin Point Heritage Museum located in the old A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory, visitors can experience the Gullah/Geechee culture firsthand. For nearly 100 years, the community of Pin Point was quietly isolated on the banks of the Moon River just south of Savannah. Now, you can explore the refurbished museum complex and experience multimedia presentations, exciting exhibits, and unparalleled views of the marsh! Savannah Children's Museum Located within the Central of Georgia Railway Carpentry Shop, Savannah Children's Museum features over a dozen exhibits designed to expand the imaginations of children including an exploration maze, a reading nook, and a sensory garden. Savannah History Museum Located in the former Central of Georgia Railway Passenger Depot, Savannah History Museum takes you on a journey through time from Savannah's earliest days to the present, with unique exhibits and interactive experiences for the family. Exhibits include an early 20th-century steam locomotive, archaeological finds from Savannah's Revolutionary War history, and much more. Harper Fowlkes House Located on Orleans Square, the Harper Fowlkes House takes gusts through the history of one of Savannah's most iconic buildings by sharing fascinating architectural details, artwork and interiors. Guests can learn about the 1842 home's inhabitants, including Alida Harper Fowlkes. Alida was an entrepreneur and preservationist who ran several businesses and helped to restore several historic buildings in Savannah. : Diedrick Brackens 'The Shape of Survival' Diedrick Brackens creates woven tapestries that blend a cosmic array of allegories, historical narratives, and autobiographical memories into compelling forms. In the shape of survival, Brackens brings his work into intimate dialogue with the American South, drawing on the region's history of quilting and influences from myriad historic artists, most notably Aaron Douglas. Brackens' use of hand-dyed cotton acknowledges the weighty legacy of this material, honoring its past while transmuting it into lyrical, awe-inspiring artworks. Now through July 7. Present your Bank of America credit or debit card along with a photo ID to gain free general admission to any participating institution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Slave descendants fight to protect their threatened island community at Georgia's highest court
Georgia 's highest court waded Wednesday into a fight between Black landowners and local officials who have weakened long-standing protections for one of the South's last Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves. Residents of largely unspoiled Sapelo Island have been trying to roll back zoning changes imposed by McIntosh County officials that doubled the size of homes allowed in a tiny enclave called Hogg Hummock. Homeowners fear the change will bring unaffordable tax increases, threatening one of America 's most historically and culturally unique Black communities. The Georgia Supreme Court heard legal arguments Wednesday on whether residents can attempt to repeal the 2023 zoning amendments by forcing a special election. Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters last year gathered more than 2,300 petition signatures from registered voters seeking a referendum in the coastal county 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Savannah. McIntosh County commissioners sued to stop the referendum. A lower court judge canceled voting less than a week before the election, ruling it was illegal after hundreds had already cast ballots early. Philip Thompson, an attorney for the Hogg Hummock residents, urged the state Supreme Court to declare that they have a 'constitutional right to a referendum' on the zoning changes so that they can defend a place that's "a cultural and historical treasure.' McIntosh County's attorney, Ken Jarrard, argued that zoning powers 'are absolutely different' from others granted to county governments by Georgia's constitution, and therefore aren't subject to being challenged by referendum. Roughly 30 to 50 Black residents live in Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, a community of dirt roads and modest homes founded by their enslaved ancestors who worked the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding. It's among a dwindling number of small communities started by emancipated island slaves — known collectively as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia — scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused these communities to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets. Hogg Hummock earned a place in 1996 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of treasured U.S. historic sites. But for protections to preserve the community, residents depend on the local government in McIntosh County, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white. Hogg Hummock landowners said they were blindsided in the fall of 2023 when county commissioners voted to relax zoning restrictions enacted decades earlier to help shield the community's Black residents from pressure to sell land held by their families for generations. Attorneys for McIntosh County say the residents' concerns are overblown, arguing in one court filing that allowing larger homes in their community is so 'unremarkable' that it 'borders on banal.' The issues before the Georgia Supreme Court have nothing to do with whether Hogg Hummock deserves special protections. Instead, the justices are being asked to deal with technicalities over whether local zoning laws can be challenged by referendum and whether McIntosh County commissioners had a right to sue to stop the October vote. The case follows a 2023 ruling by the Georgia justices that upheld a referendum that blocked coastal Camden County from building a launchpad for commercial rockets. The court ruled that a rarely used provision of Georgia's constitution empowers citizens to veto county government decisions at the ballot box. That decision emboldened Hogg Hummock residents to pursue their own referendum to overturn McIntosh County's zoning changes. But attorneys for the county commissioners have argued the constitutional provision allowing citizen referendums doesn't apply to local zoning decisions, because zoning powers are addressed in a separate section of the state constitution. They also say the trial court judge was wrong to put the zoning changes on hold pending a ruling by state Supreme Court, which could take six months. Lawyers for the Hogg Hummock residents say the referendum shouldn't have been interrupted and that county commissioners had no legal standing to sue to stop it, citing the high court's ruling in the spaceport case. The Supreme Court is weighing the Sapelo Island case as residents recover from an unrelated tragedy. Hundreds of tourists were visiting the island on Oct. 19 when a walkway collapsed at the state-operated ferry dock, killing seven people. It happened as Hogg Hummock was celebrating its annual Cultural Day festival, a day intended to be a joyful respite from worries about the community's uncertain future.
Associated Press
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Slave descendants fight to protect their threatened island community at Georgia's highest court
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's highest court waded Wednesday into a fight between Black landowners and local officials who have weakened long-standing protections for one of the South's last Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves. Residents of largely unspoiled Sapelo Island have been trying to roll back zoning changes imposed by McIntosh County officials that doubled the size of homes allowed in a tiny enclave called Hogg Hummock. Homeowners fear the change will bring unaffordable tax increases, threatening one of America's most historically and culturally unique Black communities. The Georgia Supreme Court heard legal arguments Wednesday on whether residents can attempt to repeal the 2023 zoning amendments by forcing a special election. Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters last year gathered more than 2,300 petition signatures from registered voters seeking a referendum in the coastal county 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Savannah. McIntosh County commissioners sued to stop the referendum. A lower court judge canceled voting less than a week before the election, ruling it was illegal after hundreds had already cast ballots early. Philip Thompson, an attorney for the Hogg Hummock residents, urged the state Supreme Court to declare that they have a 'constitutional right to a referendum' on the zoning changes so that they can defend a place that's 'a cultural and historical treasure.' McIntosh County's attorney, Ken Jarrard, argued that zoning powers 'are absolutely different' from others granted to county governments by Georgia's constitution, and therefore aren't subject to being challenged by referendum. Roughly 30 to 50 Black residents live in Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, a community of dirt roads and modest homes founded by their enslaved ancestors who worked the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding. It's among a dwindling number of small communities started by emancipated island slaves — known collectively as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia — scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused these communities to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets. Hogg Hummock earned a place in 1996 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of treasured U.S. historic sites. But for protections to preserve the community, residents depend on the local government in McIntosh County, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white. Hogg Hummock landowners said they were blindsided in the fall of 2023 when county commissioners voted to relax zoning restrictions enacted decades earlier to help shield the community's Black residents from pressure to sell land held by their families for generations. Attorneys for McIntosh County say the residents' concerns are overblown, arguing in one court filing that allowing larger homes in their community is so 'unremarkable' that it 'borders on banal.' The issues before the Georgia Supreme Court have nothing to do with whether Hogg Hummock deserves special protections. Instead, the justices are being asked to deal with technicalities over whether local zoning laws can be challenged by referendum and whether McIntosh County commissioners had a right to sue to stop the October vote. The case follows a 2023 ruling by the Georgia justices that upheld a referendum that blocked coastal Camden County from building a launchpad for commercial rockets. The court ruled that a rarely used provision of Georgia's constitution empowers citizens to veto county government decisions at the ballot box. That decision emboldened Hogg Hummock residents to pursue their own referendum to overturn McIntosh County's zoning changes. But attorneys for the county commissioners have argued the constitutional provision allowing citizen referendums doesn't apply to local zoning decisions, because zoning powers are addressed in a separate section of the state constitution. They also say the trial court judge was wrong to put the zoning changes on hold pending a ruling by state Supreme Court, which could take six months. Lawyers for the Hogg Hummock residents say the referendum shouldn't have been interrupted and that county commissioners had no legal standing to sue to stop it, citing the high court's ruling in the spaceport case. The Supreme Court is weighing the Sapelo Island case as residents recover from an unrelated tragedy. Hundreds of tourists were visiting the island on Oct. 19 when a walkway collapsed at the state-operated ferry dock, killing seven people. It happened as Hogg Hummock was celebrating its annual Cultural Day festival, a day intended to be a joyful respite from worries about the community's uncertain future.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slave descendants fight to protect their threatened island community at Georgia's highest court
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's highest court waded Wednesday into a fight between Black landowners and local officials who have weakened long-standing protections for one of the South's last Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves. Residents of largely unspoiled Sapelo Island have been trying to roll back zoning changes imposed by McIntosh County officials that doubled the size of homes allowed in a tiny enclave called Hogg Hummock. Homeowners fear the change will bring unaffordable tax increases, threatening one of America's most historically and culturally unique Black communities. The Georgia Supreme Court heard legal arguments Wednesday on whether residents can attempt to repeal the 2023 zoning amendments by forcing a special election. Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters last year gathered more than 2,300 petition signatures from registered voters seeking a referendum in the coastal county 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Savannah. McIntosh County commissioners sued to stop the referendum. A lower court judge canceled voting less than a week before the election, ruling it was illegal after hundreds had already cast ballots early. Philip Thompson, an attorney for the Hogg Hummock residents, urged the state Supreme Court to declare that they have a 'constitutional right to a referendum' on the zoning changes so that they can defend a place that's "a cultural and historical treasure.' McIntosh County's attorney, Ken Jarrard, argued that zoning powers 'are absolutely different' from others granted to county governments by Georgia's constitution, and therefore aren't subject to being challenged by referendum. Roughly 30 to 50 Black residents live in Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, a community of dirt roads and modest homes founded by their enslaved ancestors who worked the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding. It's among a dwindling number of small communities started by emancipated island slaves — known collectively as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia — scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused these communities to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets. Hogg Hummock earned a place in 1996 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of treasured U.S. historic sites. But for protections to preserve the community, residents depend on the local government in McIntosh County, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white. Hogg Hummock landowners said they were blindsided in the fall of 2023 when county commissioners voted to relax zoning restrictions enacted decades earlier to help shield the community's Black residents from pressure to sell land held by their families for generations. Attorneys for McIntosh County say the residents' concerns are overblown, arguing in one court filing that allowing larger homes in their community is so 'unremarkable' that it 'borders on banal.' The issues before the Georgia Supreme Court have nothing to do with whether Hogg Hummock deserves special protections. Instead, the justices are being asked to deal with technicalities over whether local zoning laws can be challenged by referendum and whether McIntosh County commissioners had a right to sue to stop the October vote. The case follows a 2023 ruling by the Georgia justices that upheld a referendum that blocked coastal Camden County from building a launchpad for commercial rockets. The court ruled that a rarely used provision of Georgia's constitution empowers citizens to veto county government decisions at the ballot box. That decision emboldened Hogg Hummock residents to pursue their own referendum to overturn McIntosh County's zoning changes. But attorneys for the county commissioners have argued the constitutional provision allowing citizen referendums doesn't apply to local zoning decisions, because zoning powers are addressed in a separate section of the state constitution. They also say the trial court judge was wrong to put the zoning changes on hold pending a ruling by state Supreme Court, which could take six months. Lawyers for the Hogg Hummock residents say the referendum shouldn't have been interrupted and that county commissioners had no legal standing to sue to stop it, citing the high court's ruling in the spaceport case. The Supreme Court is weighing the Sapelo Island case as residents recover from an unrelated tragedy. Hundreds of tourists were visiting the island on Oct. 19 when a walkway collapsed at the state-operated ferry dock, killing seven people. It happened as Hogg Hummock was celebrating its annual Cultural Day festival, a day intended to be a joyful respite from worries about the community's uncertain future.
Washington Post
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
These ‘tuna' melts show vegan cooking can be about abundance, too
Jenné Claiborne has me thinking about Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor and the idea of vibrations. Claiborne, who just turned 38, writes about vegan cooking from her home in Atlanta under the brand Sweet Potato Soul. Smart-Grosvenor, who died in 2016 at age 79, was the Geechee poet, broadcaster and culinary anthropologist who wrote the seminal 1970 book 'Vibration Cooking.' (In it, she wrote, 'When I cook, I never measure or weigh anything. I cook by vibration.')
