http://news.newamericamedia.org/news...a316f3c798334f

heres a story and i wonder if anyone heard about it

Cherokee Nation Ousts Blacks

Washington Afro American, News Feature, Richard Prince, Posted: Mar 10, 2007

When the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma voted overwhelmingly on March 3 to deny citizenship to the descendants of former African slaves, at least two Black journalists felt the action personally.

sam fordSam Ford, a reporter at Washington's WJLA-TV, had applied to vote in the election, and said his voter registration card came the day of the vote. He was born in Southeastern Kansas and put together a documentary about this little-known piece of Americana. "Black Slaves, Red Masters" aired on WJLA in 1991.

Kenneth Cooper, a freelancer and former national editor of the Boston Globe, said he confirmed at a National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta that he and Ford were cousins, "linked by a freedman who was a great-great grandfather of mine. We had suspected we were related since we first met years ago, when he told me he as a boy called my great-grandmother 'Cousin Florence.' His sister lives outside Atlanta, and when she pulled out the family tree, I spotted our common ancestor right away."

Cooper wondered on the NABJ e-mail list, "What is the position of the Native American Journalists Association on this? It might seem this is a matter of tribal politics that has nothing to do with NAJA, but it does. I was going to join NAJA several years ago, but to join you must be eligible for tribal membership, and I'm not."


THERE ARE BLACK CHEROKEES WHO ARE STILL ON THE ROLLS

or some maybe were unregistered they regconize jimi hendrix eartha kit ronnie spector

http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?se...D=45WHo9DfdZA=


Public Notices

Cherokee Nation Statement on Citizenship Status

Tahlequah , Okla. – March 23, 2007 -- The Cherokee Nation voted on March 3, 2007 to amend our Constitution to clarify eligibility for Cherokee citizenship. An overwhelming majority voted that to be eligible, you must to be able to trace your lineage to one Indian ancestor listed on the base roll of our people, also known as the Dawes Roll. Our Constitution has been amended accordingly.

The Cherokee Nation is a great Indian nation that embraces our mixed-race heritage. We are proud of our thousands of citizens who share African-American, Latino, Asian, white and other ancestry. Our sole purpose is to weave together a great Indian nation, made up of many ethnic groups which are knit together through one common cultural thread -- a shared bond to an Indian ancestor on the base roll.

The Cherokee people cherish our democratic freedoms and we paid dearly for them. These include the right to vote and to determine for ourselves the meaning of our identity. The record turnout for this constitutional vote proved that Cherokee identity is an issue that is close to the heart of the Cherokee people. The people have spoken: The Cherokee people passionately believe that you must be an Indian to be in an Indian tribe. In our case, you need one Indian ancestor listed on the base roll.

As a result of this constitutional amendment, citizenship status has changed for individuals who do not meet the requirement of one Indian ancestor on the base roll, but who were granted tribal citizenship under a tribal court ruling approximately one year ago. Letters of notification are being sent to people whose citizenship status is affected. The requirement for Cherokee citizenship is at least one Indian ancestor listed on the base roll.