FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marilyn Vann
Telephone: 405-818-5360
E-mail: mkvann@hotmail.com

FREEDMEN RALLY, CELEBRATE CHEROKEE HERITAGE  

Cherokee Freedmen Hold Rally to Protect Treaty Rights  

Tulsa - The Freedmen Band of the Cherokee Nation (FBCNO) rallied in Tulsa on Friday afternoon to celebrate and educate the public about the Freedman’s part in the diverse history of the Cherokee people.

Marilyn Vann, president of the non-profit Descendants of the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, and newly-elected Principal Chief of the FBCNO, led the rally.

“We gathered today to stand up for our identity and history as Cherokees and celebrate our people,” Vann said. “We walked and we died on the Trail of Tears as Cherokee.  We live as Cherokee today. We are Cherokee. Our history as Cherokee can’t be simply erased” Vann urged Freedmen and supporters to join the Band’s push for enforcement of Cherokee Treaty Rights.

The Freedmen Band of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is a newly organized political group comprised of Cherokees descended from those granted Cherokee citizenship under the Treaty of 1866. The FBCNO is dedicated to fighting for the restoration of Treaty rights including voting, holding political office and equality with other Cherokees. 

Dr. Ron Daniels, coordinator for the Cherokee Freedmen advocacy team and noted civil rights leader, said that “The establishment of a Freedmen political body gives the Freedman a political voice. As a unified political force, they can establish relationships and facilitate legislative actions that can assist the Freedmen to restore their rights under the treaty.”

 “The Freedmen are Cherokee people that are standing up for their treaty rights to retain their identity as well as that of their ancestors and future generations,” said Jon Velie, attorney for the Freedmen Band. “The fight is important as it is one shared by numerous Indian people who believe that treaty rights should be protected.”

On March 3, 2007 the Cherokee Nation voted to oust the Freedmen from the tribe, in violation, according to Vann, of the Treaty of 1866, which gave Freedmen full rights as a Cherokee Citizen.  On Wednesday, Vann and five other Cherokee Freedmen filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction in the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia against U.S. Officials and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, following implementation of laws stripping Freedmen of citizenship in the Tribe.

“It is my duty to stand up for my ancestors,” Vann said.  “I will not stand by and watch as others attempt to strip me of who I am.”

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