The Pine Island Plantation project spawned at least two petitions — one from the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the other from the Penn Center — calling on Beaufort County leadership to reject the requested zoning variance.
“This tactic has been used to displace native Gullah/Geechee descendants from other Sea Islands and the southeastern coast numerous times,” wrote Marquetta Goodwine, the founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and who is also known as Queen Quet, in her online petition.
The Coastal Conservation League and the Penn Center hosted a public meeting on Dec. 15 at the Frissell Community House on the grounds of the Penn Center.
Victoria Smalls, executive director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor National Heritage Area, spoke in opposition to the proposed development, noting that she grew up in nearby Dulamo and has family that lived in St. Helenaville at one time.
Smalls said that she had been given a tour of several archeological sites located around the Pine Island Plantation and called them “profoundly significant.” She believes there is an opportunity to learn more about the history of the Native Americans who inhabited the area, as well as about the Gullah Geechee community of St. Helenaville.
“We’re advocating for Beaufort County to stand up and take into consideration the impacts this will have and the potential for greater knowledge to be shared with the American public, with Beaufort County residents, with Gullah people who are trying to figure out why we are just learning about St. Helenaville,” Smalls said.
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