Editorial: Cherokee Nation wrong on Freedmen

Tuesday, June 5, 2007  

"Those who have been following this controversy know it arose because of a recent Cherokee Nation vote to divest freedmen, the descendants of African Americans who had been made citizens of the tribe, of their membership in the tribe.

So the issue of Cherokee citizenship complicates the issue of constitutional independence. But simply put, it was wrong for Cherokees to remove freedmen from the tribe, and the move to void the BIA’s approval authority is a move to legitimize that wrong.

The federal government has the responsibility to see that U.S. citizens are treated fairly and equally within all entities in its jurisdiction.

The Cherokee freedmen issue is a race issue, despite what some will say, and so the BIA has a responsibility to intervene."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Nation must follow BIA (The Muskogee Phoenix 6/4)

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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