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Trial concludes in Freedmen membership case
Thursday, September 15, 2005

A federal court in Oklahoma wrapped up four-week trial in the case of two Creek Freedmen who want their membership in the tribe reinstated.

Ron Graham and Fred Johnson are descendants of Africans who were made members of the Creek Nation after the Civil War. The men say the tribe has kicked them out and is denying them benefits.

According to The Daily Oklahoman, the court heard from several experts in the field of Black Indians and Indian affairs. Daniel Littlefield, the director of Sequoia Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said Africans and Indians lived side by side for generations.

Robert Warrior, a professor of Native American studies and English at Oklahoma University and a member of the Osage Nation, said tribes need to be fair in determining membership policies.

Get the Story:
OU lecturer defends citizenship of Creek Freedmen (The Oklahoma Daily 9/15)

Relevant Links:
Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - http://www.freedmen5tribes.com
Freedmen Conference - http://www.freedmenconference.com

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