How a Railroad Threatens 105 Years of Black Land Ownership in Georgia
In the historic St. Galilee community of Hancock County, Georgia, a quiet war is underway—one waged not with weapons, but with paperwork, political silence, and corporate ambition.
The Sandersville Railroad Company, backed by the Heidelberg Quarry expansion, is attempting to lay track through wetlands, backyards, and homes of elderly Black residents. Their strategy? A legal maneuver known as eminent domain—one historically used to dismantle Black neighborhoods under the guise of “development.”
For the residents of Sparta, this land is more than acreage. It’s memory. It’s inheritance. It’s identity. Some families trace ownership back over a century, through generations who endured Jim Crow, segregation, and systemic redlining—only to now face displacement under the pretense of “progress.”
If allowed to continue, this rail project will not only fracture a tight-knit community but deepen the national wound of Black land theft. Sparta’s fight is about more than tracks—it’s about truth, equity, and the right to remain.
Join us. Raise your voice. Stop the railroad.