HILTON HEAD, S.C. — A 93-year-old woman who has been in a legal battle with developers to keep the home that has been in her family since before the Civil War, has now exceeded her fundraising goal.
Josephine Wright made headlines recently after speaking out against developers who she says are trying to force her to sell her land in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
An investment company is trying to develop 27 acres of land around Wright’s property and has filed a lawsuit against Wright to acquire the land her home sits on.
Wright said the developers made offers to buy her land and when she turned them down, they started harassing her.
According to the GoFundMe account set up to help with her legal battle, as of Tuesday, Wright had exceeded her fundraising goal of $350,000 by more than $11,000.
Since her story went public, several celebrities have stepped up to help Wright fight the company.
NBA superstar Kyrie Irving has made two donations – one for $40,000 three months ago, and another for more than $24,000 within the last two weeks.
Snoop Dogg donated $10,000 to the cause, and Atlanta media mogul Tyler Perry has also offered his support to Wright.
Perry recently posted about Wright on his Instagram page, with a caption that reads, “‘I’ve pretty much been a fighter all my life,’ said 93-year-old Josephine Wright. Well, that makes two of us. Ms. Wright, please tell [me] where to show up and what you need to help you fight.”
According to one of the latest updates on Wright’s GoFundMe page, a tree fell on her home last month. Luckily, she was not home when it happened. The post did not speficy the extent of the damage.
In a post in August, Wright’s granddaughter Charise Graves said the town of Hilton Head is now on Wright’s side.
“The Town of Hilton Head, standing behind one of their own, has denied the ‘Development Company’s’ request to move on to the next phase of construction until this matter with Grandma Josephine is RESOLVED,” Graves wrote. “So far, there has been no word from the development company.
“Grandma Josephine is overwhelmed with gratitude from the support she’s received from all over the world.”