US EditionIn Oklahoma, Juneteenth Highlights Tribal Slavery Descendants’ Fight for Recognition and Citizenship
- In 2023, the Muscogee Nation district court ruled that restricting citizenship to those by blood violates the 1866 treaty, with the Supreme Court decision expected later this year.
- This legal challenge follows the 1979 constitution limiting Muscogee citizenship by blood and contrasts with earlier treaties from 1866 that abolished slavery and granted Freedmen citizenship.
- Other tribes, such as the Cherokee Nation, have amended constitutions to fully recognize Freedmen descendants, while tribes like the Chickasaw Nation emphasize tribal sovereignty and have not granted such citizenship.
- Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons emphasized that the Muscogee Nation’s current identity is deeply rooted in the sacrifices and struggles endured by African ancestors.
- The expected court ruling could open citizenship doors to thousands of Freedmen descendants, reflecting ongoing struggles for recognition and dialogue about tribal self-governance obligations.
59 Articles
59 Articles
Anacostia residents celebrate 11th Street Bridge, connection to end of slavery
As the nation prepares to celebrate Juneteenth, a group of residents and shop owners in Anacostia are starting a new tradition on Thursday. The 11th street bridge has connected the Anacostia neighborhood to Downtown D.C. since 1965. In the 1800s, before the 11th Street Bridge was built, it was the Eastern Branch Navy Yard Bridge. A plaque commemorates the enslaved...
Juneteenth highlights tribal slavery descendants' fight for recognition, citizenship
While many across the country recognize Juneteenth as the end to the institution of slavery in America in 1865, some tribal nations in Oklahoma continued to own slaves until the
Press-Telegram
In Oklahoma, Juneteenth highlights tribal slavery descendants’ fight for recognition and citizenship
By GRAHAM LEE BREWER Juneteenth may mark the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed, but thousands of people in Oklahoma are still fighting for full citizenship in the tribal nations that once held their ancestors in bondage. Several tribes practiced slavery, and five in Oklahoma — The Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Muscogee nations — signed reconstruction treaties with the U.S. in 1866 ab…
Associated Press News
In Oklahoma, Juneteenth highlights tribal slavery descendants' fight for recognition and citizenship
While many across the country recognize Juneteenth as the end to the institution of slavery in America in 1865, some tribal nations in Oklahoma continued to own slaves until the following year, 1866.
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