NC Water Fight: Black Counties Targeted. Data Centers Blamed. Gullah Geechee Land Fight
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖North Carolina's Senate Bill 214 is framed as a 'water heist,' allowing white-majority Franklin County to condemn property, including water, from three Black-majority counties (Halifax, Warren, Vance) to support water-intensive data centers.
- ❖The Gullah Geechee community is demanding the return of 7,000 acres of ancestral plantation land in South Carolina, emphasizing that plantations profiting from 'plantation weddings' are 'crime scenes' and calling for reparations.
- ❖Preventing intimate partner violence in Black communities requires addressing historical trauma, dismantling patriarchy and misogyny, fostering healthy masculinity, and educating young people on consent and healthy relationship dynamics.
Insights
1North Carolina's Legislative 'Water Heist' Targeting Black Counties
North Carolina is experiencing a historic drought, leading to concerns about water-intensive data centers. Senate Bill 214, specifically Section 5, proposes allowing predominantly white Franklin County to condemn property, including water resources, from three Black-majority counties—Halifax (56% Black), Warren, and Vance—without the consent of their elected officials. This bill is designed as a 'local bill' at the state level, which prevents the Democratic governor from vetoing it, making it a dangerous precedent for stripping rights from Black-majority areas.
Mayor Mandelle Robinson of Infield, NC, explained that a single data center can consume up to 2.5 million gallons of water daily. He stated that Senate Bill 214, Section 5, 'strips the right of North Carolina majority black... counties' to their property, allowing Franklin County (70% white) to condemn land without local approval. He highlighted that the bill's local nature prevents the governor from vetoing it, calling it 'dangerous' and 'setting a precedent that white people who want things can use this tool to take it away from black majority counties.'
2Gullah Geechee Community Demands Ancestral Land Reparations
The Gullah Geechee community in South Carolina is demanding the return of over 7,000 acres of plantation land that historically belonged to their enslaved ancestors. This demand is rooted in the reversal of Special Field Order No. 15 ('40 acres and a mule') and highlights how modern plantations continue to profit from the romanticization of slavery through 'plantation weddings' and events. Activists argue that these sites are 'crime scenes' and that justice requires the return of land or compensation for stolen labor, extending beyond slavery to Jim Crow and sharecropping eras.
Akua Paige, co-founder of the Charleston Reparations Task Force, stated, 'We're really just asking for, really demanding for all of that that land be returned... to the people who literally died there. Blood, sweat, and tears on that land and that property.' Marcus McDonald of Black Lives Matter Charleston noted that Middleton Plantation made over $9 million in 2021 and emphasized that the UN declared slavery 'one of the worst acts of humankind,' forming a legal basis for repair. The community has set a 40-day deadline for negotiations on land transfer, ending June 8th.
3Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Through Healthy Masculinity and Trauma Healing
Intimate partner violence is prevalent among young people, often stemming from unaddressed historical trauma, emotional isolation, and societal patriarchy within the Black community. Experts advocate for focusing on building and modeling healthy masculinity rather than solely condemning 'toxic masculinity' to engage men in solutions. They stress the importance of creating safe spaces for Black men to be vulnerable and heal, and for educators and parents to teach consent, identify red flags in relationships, and dismantle harmful gender roles that contribute to violence and the adultification of Black girls.
Jeff Johnson's plea highlighted that 'unhealed men are dangerous' and that 'ignoring mental and emotional health doesn't create accountability, it potentially creates more funerals.' Omari Barksdale from Detroit's Sasha Center explained their focus on 'modeling healthy masculinity' because 'a lot of brothers get turned off by that terminology.' Kale Lima emphasized that 'we have not had a chance to unpack the trauma of lynching in this country and the trauma of women not even having an opportunity and girls to navigate and have autonomy of their bodies.' She also pointed out the 'adultification bias in black girls' and the need to 'believe black women and girls' when they report abuse.
Bottom Line
The North Carolina Senate Bill 214, designed as a 'local bill' to bypass the governor's veto, sets a dangerous precedent for state legislatures to strip property rights from specific communities, particularly Black-majority ones, for economic development projects like data centers.
This legislative tactic could be replicated in other states, allowing powerful interests to circumvent democratic checks and balances to seize resources from marginalized communities, exacerbating existing racial and economic disparities.
Advocacy groups and civil rights organizations must closely monitor 'local bills' at the state level that impact specific regions or demographics, challenging their constitutionality and mobilizing public opposition to prevent the establishment of such precedents.
The continued practice of 'plantation weddings' and the romanticization of former slave sites directly undermine efforts for reparations and historical justice, perpetuating a narrative that ignores the profound suffering and stolen labor associated with these locations.
This commercialization of historical trauma creates a significant barrier to healing and reconciliation, making it harder for descendants of enslaved people to reclaim their heritage and secure material reparations. It also normalizes a distorted view of history for the general public.
Activists can increase pressure on event planners, tourism boards, and local governments to ban 'plantation weddings' and mandate accurate, non-romanticized historical interpretation at these sites. This could involve public awareness campaigns, boycotts, and legislative efforts to reclassify these properties or transfer ownership.
The adultification bias against Black girls, where they are perceived as older, less innocent, and less deserving of nurturing, significantly hinders their ability to seek help and be believed when experiencing intimate partner violence.
This bias, coupled with the societal normalization of silence around trauma in Black men, creates a systemic vulnerability for Black girls and women, making them less likely to receive timely intervention and support, potentially escalating violence and perpetuating cycles of harm.
Educational institutions, healthcare providers, and community organizations must implement mandatory training on adultification bias and culturally specific trauma-informed care. Parents and educators need to actively teach consent, healthy boundaries, and media literacy to counteract harmful stereotypes and empower young Black girls to assert their autonomy and seek help.
Lessons
- Contact North Carolina state senators to voice opposition to Senate Bill 214, particularly Section 5, which threatens water and property rights in Black-majority counties. Attend the protest at the Raleigh Capital on April 28th at 4:00 PM if possible.
- Support the Gullah Geechee community's demand for ancestral land reparations by signing solidarity statements, advocating for a ban on 'plantation weddings,' and attending the Charleston Reparations Task Force meeting on May 15th at the Avery Research Center.
- Engage in open conversations with young people about healthy relationships, consent, and gender roles. Challenge patriarchal and misogynistic narratives, and seek resources from organizations like the Sasha Center (Detroit), Black Men Heal, or Therapy for Black Men for guidance on fostering healthy masculinity and addressing trauma.
Notable Moments
Mayor Mandelle Robinson's urgent call to action regarding North Carolina's Senate Bill 214, highlighting its potential to strip property rights from Black-majority counties for data centers and its immunity from gubernatorial veto.
This moment underscores a critical, underreported legislative threat that could dispossess marginalized communities of vital resources, setting a dangerous precedent for systemic exploitation.
Akua Paige's powerful analogy describing plantations hosting weddings as 'getting married at a crime scene,' emphasizing the disrespect and romanticization of sites of immense suffering.
This analogy vividly exposes the moral bankruptcy of profiting from historical trauma and challenges the public to reconsider how these sites are perceived and utilized.
Jeff Johnson's heartfelt plea for Black men to address their unhealed trauma, stating, 'Unhealed men are dangerous. Not just to ourselves, but to the people who love and surround us most.'
This highlights the critical link between unaddressed mental and emotional health issues in men and the perpetuation of intimate partner violence, advocating for a shift towards healing as a collective responsibility.
The Sasha Center's approach to fostering 'healthy masculinity' rather than solely condemning 'toxic masculinity' to engage Black men in conversations about intimate partner violence.
This strategic framing offers a more inclusive and effective way to involve men in prevention efforts by focusing on constructive solutions and creating safe spaces for vulnerability and growth.
Quotes
"The bill that we're talking about has made its way to the General Assembly of North Carolina. It is Senate Bill 214 and particularly section five which basically strips the right of North Carolina majority black... counties."
"This is dangerous and it's setting a precedent that say that white people who want things can use this tool to take it away from black majority counties. This is disgusting. It is a civil rights fight."
"If you are harmed that that harm should be repaired."
"Charleston was the capital of the slave trade... in order to really heal from all that that has happened, you have to start the repair process. And that starts with... reparations. That starts with transfer of of land, giving back to the people."
"Unhealed men are dangerous. Not just to ourselves, but to the people who love and surround us most. And too often that's black women and our children."
"Until we give an opportunity for black men particularly to talk about their distrust of any kind of relationship dynamic or issue and that is directly tied to lynching, we're going to miss the point."
"Violence against women... is not a woman's issue. It's a man's issue that primarily impacts women."
"This doesn't end until men hold other men accountable. Period."
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