Editorial: No reason to remove Cherokee Freedmen

Monday, June 18, 2007  

"The Freedmen are the descendants of African slaves who were recognized as Cherokee citizens in an 1866 treaty.

Earlier this year, a Cherokee vote stripped them of that citizenship, and the legal action that is ongoing today started.

We still fail to see the reasonableness in excluding the Freedmen from the Cherokee Nation.

They are at least as legitimately Cherokees as many of the mostly-white people on the Cherokee tribal rolls, and they have been identified with the tribe for more than a century.

Stripping them of citizenship and voting rights now seems cruel and unwarranted.

Be that as it may, we’re glad they’re getting to vote in Saturday’s election, but we hope ultimately it is determined that they are indeed Cherokee citizens and should enjoy the same rights as any other Cherokee.

Hopefully any future decision on their citizenship status won’t call into question the results of Saturday’s election, which is in their minds being held without their input, because all that would do is lead to more legal action.

In the end, it would be wise for both sides to sit down and try to come to a reasonable solution in a civilized manner — something that is lacking in far too many negotiations these days."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Freedmen case should be resolved (The Muskogee Phoenix 6/18)

BIA Letters:
May 21, 2007 | March 28, 2007 | August 30, 2006

Sovereign Immunity Court Decision:
Vann v. Kempthorne (December 19, 2006)

Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal Decision in Freedmen Case:
Allen v. Cherokee Nation (March 7, 2006)

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

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