Headlined by Kyrie Irving, a group of Black celebrities that includes Tyler Perry, Fantasia, and others has gotten a 93-year-old South Carolina woman’s GoFundMe page closer to her goal of raising $350,000 — recently raised from $250,000 — in her efforts to fight off developers she says are threatening her land in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Josephine Wright has called her Hilton Head property home for nearly 30 years. The 1.8-acre parcel of land has belonged to her family since shortly after the Civil War.
The top donation to the fundraiser organized for the 93-year-old is $40,000 given by NBA superstar Kyrie Irving. The GoFundMe account was started to help the Wright family with legal aid after a lawsuit was filed against Wright by Bailey Point Investment LLC. The development company is constructing a 147-unit neighborhood, which would abut Wright’s Johnsonville Road parcel.
The developer is suing Wright after a series of disputes over property line issues, but Wright’s family says the litigation is intended to coerce her into selling her home. Wright’s granddaughter, Charise Graves, started the GoFundMe page to combat the legal fees. The page currently has more than $242,000 in donations as of Monday, and the Dallas Mavericks guard was one of the first celebs to join the fight on Wright’s behalf.
The story of the woman’s dispute made national headlines in recent weeks, and other Black celebrities have stepped up to help Wright in her fight against the company.
Tyler Perry recently spoke out and said that Wright “has a village behind her.” His statement helped Wright to garner support from singer Fantasia, actress Gabrielle Dennis, former Food Network star Gina Neely, gospel singer Tina Campbell, and rapper Meek Mill.
This is not the first time Irving has given back to people who are in need. Last year, he totaled $500,000 in GoFundMe donations. He gave back to causes that ranged from helping Palestinian families rebuild their Gaza homes from Israeli attacks to helping a Howard student pay for tuition.
Irving does not usually comment on his donations and has not commented on his latest donation. The $40,000 he gave Wright and her family is the largest they have received. The family has tried to reach out to thank Irving but received no response.
