Skip to main content
Georgia Public Broadcasting Logo
  • TV

    Featured Specials and Programs

    • All Creatures Great and Small
    • Miss Scarlet & The Duke
    • Antiques Roadshow
    • PBS Newshour
    • Finding Your Roots
    • The U.S. and the Holocaust
    All Programs

    GPB Originals

    • Georgia Outdoors
    • View Finders
    • A Fork in the Road
    • The Steeple
    • Your Fantastic Mind
    • Football Fridays in Georgia
    GPB Originals

    Browse by Genre

    • Arts & Music
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Food
    • History
    • News & Public Affairs
    • TV Schedule
    • GPB Programs
    • PBS Passport
    • TV Highlights this Week
    • PBS KIDS
    • Ways to Watch
    • Newsletters
    • Contact GPB
  • Radio

    Featured Programs

    • Political Rewind
    • The Daily
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Serendipity
    • John Lemley's City Cafe
    • Fresh Air
    • Here and Now
    • Code Switch/Life Kit
    • Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
    All Programs

    Podcasts

    • GA Today
    • Salvation South
    • Battleground: Ballot Box
    • Football Fridays in Georgia
    • Classroom Conversations
    • Radio Schedule
    • GPB Classical
    • Radio Programs
    • Podcasts
    • GPB News
    • Find Your Station
    • Contact GPB
    • Newsletters
  • News

    Featured Programs & Series

    • Political Rewind
    • Lawmakers
    • Lawmakers: Beyond the Dome
    • 1A
    • Battleground: Ballot Box
    • GA Today Podcast
    • Storycorps
    • Powering Georgia
    • Food Access

    More GPB News

    • Politics
    • Georgia News
    • Justice
    • Arts & Life
    • Health
    All GPB News
    • Radio Schedule
    • Radio Stations
    • GPB Apps
    • Contact GPB News
    • Follow Us on Apple News
    • Newsletters
  • Education

    Browse by Subject

    • CTAE
    • Computer Science
    • English Language Arts
    • Mathematics
    • Physical Health and Wellness
    • Professional Learning
    • STEAM
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • The Arts
    • World Languages

    Browse by Grade

    • Preschool-PreK
    • K-2
    • 3-5
    • 6-8
    • 9-12

    Featured

    • Classroom Conversations Podcast
    • Georgia Studies Collection
    • Econ Express
    • VR in the Classroom
    • Lights, Camera, Budget!
    • Georgia Home Classroom
    • Chemistry Matters
    • Physics in Motion
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Writers Contest
    • PBS LearningMedia
    • PBS KIDS
  • Sports

    GHSA Sports

    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Cheerleading
    • On Demand
    • GPB Sports Blog
    All Sports

    High School Football

    • Scores & Schedule
    • On Demand
    • Teams
    • Rankings
    • Brackets
    • Champions
    • Buckle Up Georgia
    Football Home
    • GPB Sports App
    • GPB Sports Blog
    • GPB Sports OnDemand
  • Events

    Browse by Type

    • Community
    • Donor
    • Kids & Family
    • Screenings
    All Events

    Browse by Category

    • Education
    • News
    • Sports
    • Television

    Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email.

    Sign up

    • on Twitter
    • on Facebook
    • on Instagram
  • Kids & Family

    For Kids

    • Video
    • Games

    For Parents & Caregivers

    • Kids & Family Blog
    • Kids & Family Events
    • GPB KIDS - Ways to Watch
  • Support Us

    Support GPB

    • Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Sustainers
    • GPB Passport
    • Leadership Giving
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donations
    • GPB Next
    • Matching Gifts
  • Search
GPB Passport icon GPB Passport icon Passport
GPB donate icon GPB donate icon Donate
Listen Live Listen Live Watch Live Watch Live
GPB News

GPB Newsletter CTA

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

News Topics

  • Georgia
  • National
  • Election
  • Lawmakers
  • Battleground: Ballot Box

Don't Miss

Don't Miss:

  • Listen: The NEW Peach Jam podcast
  • TV Highlights This Week
  • GA Today daily podcast

News Articles: Sapelo Island

A tree leans over a road on Sapelo Island.

Tagged as: 

  • News

Sapelo Island’s Geechee residents worry state Senate bill could disenfranchise them

Descendants of enslaved African community have been on Sapelo Island for 13 generations. But just 30 Geechee  descendants of the original 44 enslaved families remain — and the General Assembly quietly passed a bill on March 2 to modify the rules of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority without the input of those residents. 

March 17, 2023
|
By:
  • Alexandra Martinez
Shuttered health clinic on Sapelo Island

Tagged as: 

  • Race

Sapelo natives reach agreement in long fight with county over basic services

The community’s legal battles with the state and local authorities began in 2016. The residents received a $19 million settlement from the State of Georgia in 2020 forcing state agencies to upgrade the transportation facilities that the historic Black community residents and descendants rely on to travel to Sapelo.

July 26, 2022
|
By:
  • William Daughtry

The Return Of Purple Ribbon Sugarcane

For a while, Purple Ribbon Sugarcane thrived on Sapelo Island, off the Georgia coast. Then, disease nearly wiped it out altogether in North America, but...

January 16, 2018
|
By:
  • Celeste Headlee and
  • Sean Powers
In this June 10, 2013 file photo, a sticker celebrating the Geechee heritage is seen on a pickup truck as passengers board a ferry to the mainland from Sapelo Island, Ga.

Judge Won't Dismiss Discrimination Suit By Slave Descendants

A federal judge in Georgia has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims racial discrimination is eroding one of the last Gullah-Geechee communities of...

November 01, 2017
|
By:
  • RUSS BYNUM and
  • Associated Press
Sapelo Island resident makes a traditional Gullah basket.

State of Georgia Not Immune From Gullah Geechee Discrimination Lawsuit

A federal judge said the state of Georgia is not immune from a lawsuit that claims the state discriminated against a community of slave descendants on...

June 22, 2016
|
By:
  • Gabrielle Ware
Farm on Sapelo Island.

Gullah Geechee Series Part Two: Threats To Island Culture (VIDEO)

When it rains on Sapelo Island, it doesn’t take long for the roads to turn into mud according to Gullah resident Stacey Grovner. “Back in March we had a...

June 21, 2016
|
By:
  • Gabrielle Ware
Sapelo Island is a restricted community that can only be reached by ferry.

Gullah Geechee Series Part One: Exploring Sapelo Island (VIDEO)

Sapelo Island, Georgia is a coastal community with rich wildlife, an enviable coastline and towering moss draped trees. It’s no wonder many choose the...

June 21, 2016
|
By:
  • Gabrielle Ware
Members of Sapelo Island's Gullah Geechee community speak after filing their lawsuit in Atlanta.

Gullah Geechee File Suit To Stay On Sapelo Island

Members of Sapelo Island’s Gullah Geechee community are suing local and state governments for practices they say are threatening their ability to live...

June 21, 2016
|
By:
  • Sam Whitehead

Newsletter Signup

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Connect with GPB

  • Connect with GPB on Facebook
  • Connect with GPB on Instagram
  • Connect with GPB on Twitter
  • Connect with GPB on YouTube
  • Connect with GPB on Apple News

Footer

Footer First Nav (Main Menu)

  • TV
  • Radio
  • News
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Events
  • Kids & Family
  • Support Us
  • Search

Footer Second Nav Menu

  • Help Center
  • About GPB
  • Contact Us
  • Closed Captioning
  • Directions
  • Studio Production
  • Program Submissions

Footer Third Nav Menu

  • Support Us
  • Careers
  • Accessibility
  • FCC Public Files
  • Drawing Rules
  • News Media Request
  • Open Records Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Georgia Public Broadcasting

260 14th St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
United States

(404) 685-2400 In Atlanta
(800) 222-4788 Outside Atlanta
ask@gpb.org

Newsletter Signup

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Connect with GPB

  • Connect with GPB on Facebook
  • Connect with GPB on Instagram
  • Connect with GPB on Twitter
  • Connect with GPB on YouTube
  • Connect with GPB on Apple News
© Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. All Rights Reserved. Georgia Public Radio® GPTV®