There is something about driving by cemeteries that marries life and death, beauty and tragedy, sacred lands with stolen lands.

On the Gullah Geechee tour in Hilton Head, South Carolina, we saw elaborate newly constructed homes as well as the few preservations of original Gullah family homes.

We also saw beaches and golf courses that were built over sacred Gullah burial grounds.

This reality was triggering. Yet, when we drove by the Gullah cemetery, I saw the beauty in the preservation of this sacred land.

The headstones forever told the narratives, the history, and the legacy of those who first inhabited these sacred lands.

The plots forever symbolize the fortitude against those who would dare continue to allow outsiders to establish their own gentrified dreams while destroying the stoic dreams of our ancestors.

The sacred lands these cemeteries rest on are the epitome of the strength, perseverance, and courage in the face of adversity the Gullah people have continued to demonstrate for generations.

I wonder if the inhabitants of these sacred lands are truly able to rest in peace knowing that a city, a state, a mandate, a court of law, a rich developer, or anyone else who might not have the reverence for a final resting place could have their sacred lands erased at any moment.

Selah.