The family of a 94-year-old South Carolina woman is keeping the home they’ve owned for generations, thanks to the fight she carried on until her last days. Josephine Wright passed away in January 2024 before Bailey Point Investments, LLC’s settlement with her surviving family members. The firm agreed to build a nearly 30-acre neighborhood around the Wright family home, including a privacy fence to separate the property from their construction.
Josephine Wright’s battle with Bailey Point began when the company received approval to build 147 new homes in the area of her home in 2022.
Wright’s ancestors were among the many freed slaves, who would become known as the Gullah Geechee people, who made their homes on Hilton Head. In the late 1800s, 98 percent of the island’s residents were Black. That all changed with the gentrification of the area which started in the late 1950s with the arrival of golf courses and resorts. These days, nearly 80 percent of Hilton Head residents are white, according to the Greenville News.
Wright says she was bullied and harassed by Bailey Point when she refused their offers to buy her home. The firm even filed a lawsuit against her for encroaching on their property.
Her story went viral and got celebrity attention, including Snoop Dogg and media mogul Tyler Perry who promised to build her a new home. A GoFundMe for the family’s fight raised over $360,000.
“This land has been in our family since the end of the Civil War and she has poured her heart and soul into maintaining the property for herself and her family to enjoy for generations to come,” wrote Wright’s granddaughter Charise Graves.
Ms. Wright leaves behind her husband, Samuel Wright Jr., four children, 40 grandchildren and several great- and great-great-grandchildren. In honor of her brave fight, Wright’s family has created the Josephine Wright Foundation to help other families keep their homes.