Obama Reconciles CBC Membership with Tribal Sovereignty Support
by First Americans Advocate
| May 2, 2008 at 04:57 pm |
http://www.nowpublic.com
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) was asked to reconcile his membership in the Congressional Black Caucus with his support for the sovereignty of tribal nations. Fellow Congressional Black Caucus members are asking congress to approve provisions to the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act that would deny funding to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma until they extend membership to a group known as the Freedmen. (Read the bill sponsored by Diane Watson (D-CA) here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin
In a March 13, 2008 Letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, members of the Congressional Black Caucus stated that "members of the CBC will not support, and will actively oppose passage of NAHASDA" unless the bill contains a "provision that would prevent the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma from receiving any benefits or funding" until they "recognize all Cherokee Freedmen and their descendents as tribal citizens." The letter contained the signatures of 35 CBC members, but not the signature of White House hopeful Senator Barack Obama.
Concerned that congress could "interfere with tribal matters," the Native American community expressed concern that an Obama Presidency could potentially support CBC efforts to "undermine the rights of tribal governments to determine their own membership."
Asked to reconcile his support for tribal sovereignty with his CBC membership, Obama's campaign issued the following statement:
Barack Obama has reiterated his support for tribal sovereignty. Senator Obama said, "Tribal sovereignty must mean that the place to resolve intertribal disputes is the tribe itself. Our nation has learned with tragic results that federal intervention in internal matters of Indian tribes is rarely productive - failed policies such as Allotment and Termination grew out of efforts to second-guess Native communities. That is not a legacy we want to continue."
With respect to the Cherokee Freedman issue, Senator Obama said that while he is opposed to unwarranted tribal disenrollment, congressional interference was not warranted at this point. "Discrimination anywhere is intolerable, but the Cherokee are dealing with this issue in both tribal and federal courts. As it stands, the rights of the Cherokee Freedmen are not being abrogated because there is an injunction in place that ensures the Freedman's rights to programs during the pendency of the litigation. I do not support efforts to undermine these legal processes and impose a congressional solution. Tribes have a right to be self governing and we need to respect that, even if we disagree, which I do in this case. We must have restraint in asserting federal power in such circumstances."
Obama also reiterated his support for fulfilling the treaty obligations to tribes. "The Cherokee Freedmen issue highlights the larger issue of the unfulfilled treaty promises made by the federal government to tribes. It is these promises that Barack is most concerned with as the future president. Barack understands that the federal government owes a legal and moral obligation to tribes to provide health care, education and other essential services to tribes. This is not a handout, but compensation for millions of acres of land relinquished by tribes."
Regarding outreach to the Native American community, Senator Obama's campaign includes a Native American Community Outreach Coordinator and a 30-member Tribal Steering Committee. A comparison of the Clinton, McCain and Obama websites indicates a clear difference between Obama's online efforts and those of his two opponents. Clinton and McCain websites have no specific links or information for Native American peoples or issues, while Senator Obama's campaign has a main page link directly to his website for "First Americans" (www.tribes.barackobama.com).
In his statement on congressional action on tribal matters, Presidential Candidate Obama acknowledged the position of both the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Freedmen, as well as the chasm that exists between them. He will likely lose the support of those on either extreme end of the controversy. By not offering his support to the controversial H.R. 2824 legislation promoted by the CBC, Senator Obama will undoubtedly be met with unrest by those that side with the Cherokee Freedmen. However, his indication of empathy of the Freedmen's plight will also be unwelcome to those on the other side of the Freedmen/Cherokee Nation debate. With an issue this polarizing, completely pleasing everyone without alienating anyone else just doesn't seem to be a viable option. But Obama doesn't shy away from at least trying.
--First Americans Advocate is Hannah Flanagan, an independent journalist and a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who lives in Southern California.
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