Opinion | Recognition

Editorial: Recognize the Lumbee Tribe

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

"Leaders of North Carolina’s Lumbee tribe were in Washington again last week, battling for the federal recognition that is long overdue. The Senate should listen to what North Carolina’s senators have to say about the Lumbees.

“The Lumbee deserve better than a partial nod to their legitimacy - they deserve full recognition, and the time is now,” Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who has fought for that recognition since she arrived in the Senate, told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee at a hearing Wednesday.

And Sen. Richard Burr, a member of the committee and a supporter of recognition, said, “It is my hope that the Senate will fulfill its commitment to achieve fairness and justice for the Lumbees.”

The Lumbee tribe has been fighting since the last years of the 19th century for federal recognition. Congress has acknowledged the tribe in a limited way. “In 1956, Congress finally passed legislation recognizing the tribe … but it included a terribly unfair caveat: The Lumbees were denied the benefits that every other federally recognized tribe receives,” Dole told the committee.

That recognition comes with substantial housing, education and health benefits. The Lumbees passed a major hurdle earlier this year when the House voted to give the tribe that recognition. The fight, however, is far from over."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Recognize the Lumbee (The Winston-Salem Journal 9/25)

Recognition Bill:
Lumbee Recognition Act (H.R.65)

Relevant Links:
Official Lumbee Tribe website - http://www.lumbeetribe.com