The Black Community Fighting to Keep Its Ancestral Land
From PBS Voices.
Watch this video on YouTube ↗
“The Last Gullah Geechee Community on Sapelo Island” directed by Asha Stuart.
In Episode 2, we visit Georgia’s Sapelo Island, home to one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities in the country. Residents are fighting to preserve their ancestral land and way of life as rising property taxes and other financial pressures threaten to push families off the island.
For generations, this land has been passed down through families. Now, residents are confronting the growing costs of holding onto their homes and protecting a community rooted in history, culture, and tradition.
This story is part of Black Land Matters, exploring the fight for Black land ownership, preservation, and self-determination across America.
The Color Line Diaries is a five-part documentary series journeying through Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ghana to uncover untold Black stories and explore the cultural and social realities shaping Black life today.
#BlackLandMatters #GullahGeechee #SapeloIsland #Georgia #BlackLandOwnership #PropertyTaxes #AncestralLand #Documentary #BlackHistory
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Executive Producers
Carrie Lozano
Lois Vossen
Royd Chung
Director/Producer
Asha Stuart
Senior Manager, Short-Form Content
Pamela Torno
Supervising Producer
Pamela Torno
Consulting Producer
Clare Chambers
Associate Producer
Jerry Byrd
Production Assistant
Justin Giles
Director of Photography/Editor
Asha Stuart
Narrator
Damon Webb
Music Supervisor
Galatia Jones
Post Production Supervisor
Raul Mendez
Production Coordinator
Johnny Alvarez
Independent Lens Short-Form Funding Provided by:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Acton Family Giving
Ford Foundation
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
The Artemis Rising Foundation
Park Foundation
Wyncote Foundation
Brandt Jackson Foundation
The deNovo Initiative
Action Circle for Independent Lens
The Color Line Diaries is a co-production of Pitch Black Films LLC and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This program was produced by Pitch Black Films LLC, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2025 Pitch Black Films LLC. All Rights Reserved.
_________________________________________________________
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ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS
@independentlens is an award-winning documentary series that fosters understanding, seeks to build empathy, and encourages a more united society. Produced by ITVS, Independent Lens documentaries have premiered on PBS for 25 years and streamed on YouTube, helping Americans foster deeper connections between communities and themselves. From the Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro to the Peabody-acclaimed docuseries Philly D.A. and the EmmyⓇ award-winning The Invisible War, Independent Lens provides viewers with in-depth, nuanced storytelling reflecting the experiences of people from a variety of voices and communities. Funding is provided by the Action Circle for Independent Lens with major funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Acton Family Giving, Ford Foundation, and Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, with additional support from Artemis Rising Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Park Foundation, Brandt Jackson Foundation, the deNovo Initiative, and RandomGood Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
*This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate
In Episode 2, we visit Georgia’s Sapelo Island, home to one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities in the country. Residents are fighting to preserve their ancestral land and way of life as rising property taxes and other financial pressures threaten to push families off the island.
For generations, this land has been passed down through families. Now, residents are confronting the growing costs of holding onto their homes and protecting a community rooted in history, culture, and tradition.
This story is part of Black Land Matters, exploring the fight for Black land ownership, preservation, and self-determination across America.
The Color Line Diaries is a five-part documentary series journeying through Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ghana to uncover untold Black stories and explore the cultural and social realities shaping Black life today.
#BlackLandMatters #GullahGeechee #SapeloIsland #Georgia #BlackLandOwnership #PropertyTaxes #AncestralLand #Documentary #BlackHistory
~~~~~~~~~~
Executive Producers
Carrie Lozano
Lois Vossen
Royd Chung
Director/Producer
Asha Stuart
Senior Manager, Short-Form Content
Pamela Torno
Supervising Producer
Pamela Torno
Consulting Producer
Clare Chambers
Associate Producer
Jerry Byrd
Production Assistant
Justin Giles
Director of Photography/Editor
Asha Stuart
Narrator
Damon Webb
Music Supervisor
Galatia Jones
Post Production Supervisor
Raul Mendez
Production Coordinator
Johnny Alvarez
Independent Lens Short-Form Funding Provided by:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Acton Family Giving
Ford Foundation
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
The Artemis Rising Foundation
Park Foundation
Wyncote Foundation
Brandt Jackson Foundation
The deNovo Initiative
Action Circle for Independent Lens
The Color Line Diaries is a co-production of Pitch Black Films LLC and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This program was produced by Pitch Black Films LLC, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2025 Pitch Black Films LLC. All Rights Reserved.
_________________________________________________________
Stream anytime on the PBS app https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/
Follow Independent Lens on social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentlens
Threads: https://www.threads.net/independentlens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/independentlens
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDUknWztWaLs7motsqGwPg?sub_confirmation=1
Keep up with PBS Digital Studios:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pbsds
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsdigitalstudios
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios/
ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS
@independentlens is an award-winning documentary series that fosters understanding, seeks to build empathy, and encourages a more united society. Produced by ITVS, Independent Lens documentaries have premiered on PBS for 25 years and streamed on YouTube, helping Americans foster deeper connections between communities and themselves. From the Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro to the Peabody-acclaimed docuseries Philly D.A. and the EmmyⓇ award-winning The Invisible War, Independent Lens provides viewers with in-depth, nuanced storytelling reflecting the experiences of people from a variety of voices and communities. Funding is provided by the Action Circle for Independent Lens with major funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Acton Family Giving, Ford Foundation, and Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, with additional support from Artemis Rising Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Park Foundation, Brandt Jackson Foundation, the deNovo Initiative, and RandomGood Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
*This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate
