Donate to help Inez Miller keep her property!

Donate to help Inez Miller, a Gullah/Geechee community leader, keep her property on St. Helena Island.

Ms. Inez Miller is being wrongfully threatened with eviction from her home on St. Helena Island. Unfortunately, her father’s recent passing has made her family land a target for a developer. Inez has filed with the probate court to transfer the title of the land from her father to her. This transition normally takes some time, and the developer took advantage of this vulnerable moment in the family’s life by trying to seize her property. The developer has also filed a suit to evict her.

Inez has been a dedicated and generous community leader for over 30 years, often seen distributing information and fresh meals throughout Beaufort County to keep fellow community members informed and engaged. She is actively involved with volunteering for: the Penn Center for 26+ years, Healing Water Ministry, Marshview Community Organic Farm, St. Helena-Lady’s Island Fire Department, advocates for breast cancer survivors, including speaking and participating in annual Breast Cancer Walk with Girl Scout Troop 4105, voter registration in Beaufort County, and obtaining needed eye care services for community members.

Sadly, Inez Miller’s story is not just an isolated case. The Gullah/Geechee community on St. Helena Island have felt the stress of growth and harmful development for years.

St. Helena Island is home to irreplaceable cultural and historical resources. The Gullah/Geechee people have called the Sea Islands home since the Civil War as many of the freed people of St. Helena bought their land, and their descendants still reside there today. This land has been passed down through generations, preserving the Gullah/Geechee culture and values.

A staple of St. Helena Island is the Penn Center. Founded in 1862, the Penn Center is the oldest school in the Southern United States for African Americans. It was a safe haven during the Civil Rights movement and the place where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. composed drafts of his revolutionary “I have a Dream Speech.” St. Helena Island’s Gullah/Geechee community has fought to protect this historic land time and time again.

The importance of this living Gullah/Geechee community and their connection to the land is immeasurable. The recent gentrification and development in the surrounding areas of Beaufort County has caused a great deal of grief as newcomers cannot grasp the historic and cultural values rooted in this land.

The strength of the individuals and the togetherness of the St. Helena community in the face of adversity proves we cannot roll over and allow developers to destroy Gullah/Geechee homes.

Inez Miller needs your help to preserve her rightful land. Please donate to support Inez Miller, Gullah/Geechee culture, and a historic Sea Island community.