Rep. Watson & Black Caucus Members Register Outrage Over Blatant Discrimination by Cherokee Nation

Press Release

Congresswoman Diane E. Watson and 25 members of the Congressional Black Caucus have sent a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs protesting the recent vote by the Cherokee Nation to revoke the tribal citizenship of an estimated 2,800 black Cherokee descendants.

"On Saturday, March 3, a very small minority of the Cherokee Nation voted to disenfranchise their tribal members who have African ancestry in violation of established treaty rights," said Congresswoman Watson. "This is blatant discrimination of the worst kind."

"I and my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus question the validity, legality, as well as the morality of the Cherokee Nation's vote. The black descendant Cherokees can trace their Native American heritage back in many cases for more than a century. They are legally a part of the Cherokee Nation through history, precedent, blood, and treaty obligations."

"In fiscal year 2006, the House Appropriations Committee estimates that The United States Government spent $12.6 billion a year on programs in support of Native Americans. The Cherokee Nation is one of the largest Native American tribes in the U.S. and its members obviously receive a significant share of federal funds."

"I have reason to believe that the Cherokee Nation's annual budget is somewhere in the range of $300 million a year, of which 75% is derived from federal funds. Black Cherokee descendants are now put in the incredible position of having to pay federal taxes to subsidize their own discrimination. This is a gross violation of their social, economic, and human rights."

"The federal government has a trust and responsibility through treaty obligations and federal statutes to provide for the well-being, health care, and education of Native American tribal members regardless of race. Fundamental social justice demands that the black Cherokees be reinstated in the Cherokee Nation with full rights."

The letter signed by Congresswoman Watson and Members of the Congressional Black Caucus is addressed to Carl J. Artman, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. The full text of the letter follows:

March 13, 2007

The Honorable Carl J. Artman
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
1849 C Street, NW
Mail Stop 4101
Washington, D.C. 20240

Dear Mr. Artman:

The undersigned members of the Congressional Black Caucus are shocked and outraged at the March 3 vote by Cherokee Nation members to revoke the tribal citizenship of an estimated 2,800 black descendants of the Cherokee Nation.

The black descendants are of mixed African-Cherokee heritage. Their lineage extends back for well over a century when they accompanied other tribal members to new settlements in Oklahoma after the Cherokee Nation had been expelled from its traditional lands in North Carolina and Georgia. Many African descendant Cherokees died during the forced migration, which has become known as the "Trail of Tears."

The Cherokee Nation fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. After the war it signed a federal treaty, in 1866, committing that its African-Cherokee descendants would be absorbed as citizens of the Cherokee Nation. In 1983, the Cherokee Nation expelled many African descendants by requiring them to show a degree of Indian blood through the Dawes rolls. A tribal court reinstated them in March 2006. The most recent March 3 vote is an apparent attempt to override the March 2006 court decision.

We question the validity, legality, as well as the morality of the Cherokee Nation's March 3 vote to disenfranchise its African descendants. A sizeable number of persons throughout the United States who can rightfully lay claim to Native American tribal citizenship and lineage are of mixed ancestry. The tribal lineage of black Native American descendants is rich in history and precedent that equals, if not surpasses, that of other racially and ethnically mixed Native Americans who have sought and been granted full tribal status.

We respectfully request an interpretation from the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the March 3 vote, particularly the legality of the vote, as well as what actions can be taken by the Bureau to correct this egregious violation of the rights of Cherokee Nation members of African descent.

We are resolute in our efforts to undo this outrage.