Year after year, people go to Tybee Island as a family friendly vacation with beautiful beaches along Coastal Georgia. What many of these people don’t know is the significant role African Americans played in the production and livelihood of the island. Contributions go all the way back to the colonial times, to slavery, and even to modern day community leadership go unnoticed.
Not so long ago, the stories of Black residents and their impact on Tybee Island didn’t get much attention. That started to change when researchers from Georgia Southern University, led by Dr. Amy Potter, began gathering history and mapping out important places tied to African American life on the island. They made a digital trail that guides visitors to landmarks such as the Lazaretto Creek quarantine station, the Brown Cement Factory, and other sites.
It’s important that these stories are told because many people don’t even know that Tybee Island’s beaches weren’t always open to everyone. Back in August of 1960, a group of eleven students from Atlanta’s Morehouse College drove down to Savannah. Their goal was to walk into the water at Tybee Island and protest the segregation on the beach. When they started a group of white people walked up to the students with anger, and the police ended up arresting the college students. But they didn’t give up. For the next two summers, they kept coming back, and finally, in 1963, the city allowed Black people to enjoy the beach freely.
The history of African Americans on Tybee Island goes far beyond the 1960’s, though. The history goes all the way back to the 1700s, when enslaved West Africans were first brought to Georgia. Tybee Island was the site of a quarantine station, called a lazaretto, where these men and women were kept in harsh, unsanitary conditions after surviving the journey across the Atlantic. Many who died there were buried on the island, their stories nearly lost to time. But their legacy lives on. Every spring, Black college students travel to Tybee for the Orange Crush celebration. In recent years, city officials have tried to limit this event by increasing police presence and denying permits, sometimes painting it in a negative light. For many, though, Orange Crush is about joy, tradition, and the right to gather on the island just like anyone else.
Tybee Island is also honoring its Black History in other ways. One example is Tybresia Green, a local leader who made a real difference. Tybresia worked hard to preserve the island’s African American heritage while supporting kids and families. To recognize her, the city named Green Lane and Tybresia Street after her, making sure her contributions won’t be forgotten.
From slavery to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, African Americans have shaped Tybee Island in important ways. Their stories, once hidden, are now being shared so everyone, residents and visitors, and anyone else, can understand the island’s past and present.
As Dr. Potter said, “We’re talking about those histories that were not that long ago.” By learning and sharing these stories, Tybee Island moves forward with a deeper appreciation for justice, equality, and the contributions of all its people.
Recourses Used:https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/2023/04/11/black-history-trail-launches-for-tybee-island-visitor
