No ‘plantation’ in Hilton Head Plantation? Answers to myths on social media | Opinion

The debate concerning the removal of “plantation” from Hilton Head Plantation’s name has resulted in the proliferation of misinformation on social media.

As a member of the HHPCommunity4Change group, it’s time to weigh in on what we know to be true.

Our group interviewed local Realtors, attorneys, managers of communities for which “plantation” was removed and of Hilton Head Plantation, and we sought input from members of our Black and Gullah communities in order to create our website (https://www.hhpcommunity4change.com/). Please take a moment to review its contents.

Following is a summary of frequent comments that have appeared on Nextdoor HHP and/or the Facebook page for Hilton Head Plantation, with the facts known to date.

“I’ve heard the name change could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.” “There will be an increase in Hilton Head Plantation fees.”

▪ No cost analysis has been completed to date. It is currently in progress.

▪ Cost is determined by how the scope of work is defined. For other Hilton Head Island communities, the articles of incorporation were amended with the community “doing business as ...” from that date forward. Past documents were not revised. The cost was much less than the quoted amount above.

▪ Our group has committed to raising $100,000 for the name change. We have offers of assistance free of charge from two local attorneys and a marketing agency.

▪ There is no basis for assuming an increase in Hilton Head Plantation fees.

“Changing our name removes important history.”

▪ This is a housing development, not a monument to history. The purpose of our “brand” should be to market our community in a favorable light to a broad spectrum of potential home buyers.

▪ Our Island was the home of the first freed slaves. This is an immensely important part of our collective legacy. It is not honored by having a reminder of the pain endured on plantations. Investing in Mitchelville and our Gullah communities is the way to honor history.

▪ Sea Pines, Shipyard, Indigo Run, Belfair, and Colleton River have removed “plantation.” These communities understand that the term does not serve their brand or history any more. (Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort never used “plantation” in its name. Neither did Long Cove Club, Leamington or Windmill Harbour.)

“The name ‘plantation’ means ‘a large farm or estate in which resident laborers harvest the crops.’ ” “Pineapple plantations exist in Hawaii today.”

▪ Many definitions of plantations have been offered in an attempt to suggest the term is not negative. Bottom line, the term connotes the horrendous treatment that people of color endured at the hands of white people. Please review our web page section “Gullah Voices and Media Coverage” and read statements from community members. If this term impacts those in our community negatively, why not support the goodwill involved in changing our name?

“If you don’t like the name, why did you move here?”

▪ The answer lies within the fact that the world around us changes. So many either didn’t react to the term or did but put it aside only to realize now what a negative impact it has on our neighbors. Removing an enduring reminder of oppression lifts us all up.

In the eloquent words of Isabella Miller, a member of one of Hilton Head’s largest native islander families: “It’s not right to be told that this is too complicated from a marketing standpoint. Nor is this about anyone winning or giving in. This is about dignifying and valuing humanity. This is about hearing us when we say that this matters because it causes pain and because these things that may seem insignificant to some people are quite significant to us in terms of their connections to oppression that we’re still trying very hard to overcome.”

As a sign of our collective goodwill, please join us in supporting this effort. And please, stop the spread of rumors and distasteful comments on social media. We need just the opposite always, and especially at this moment in our history.

Nancy Contel, DVM, a retired executive in pharmaceutical research, moved to Hilton Head in August from Wilmington, Delaware.

This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 9:08 AM.