After 30 Years, Unincorporated Community Annexed Into Walnut Cove

A predominantly black unincorporated community has won its decades-long fight to be annexed by an adjacent North Carolina town.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports Walnut Cove's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the annexation of the Walnut Tree community on Tuesday. The vote follows 30 years of petitions by Walnut Tree community members and a September lawsuit alleging racial discrimination that's been settled by a consent decree, resolving the dispute without admission of liability.

The 73-household Walnut Tree Community Association and four individuals had filed the lawsuit to accelerate annexation so residents could participate in town elections and receive the benefits and services available to Walnut Cove residents, including reduced water-sewer service rates.

The predominantly white town had rejected multiple annexation applications from Walnut Tree, while annexing predominantly white communities.