Cherokee Nation Strikes Down Language That Limits Citizenship Rights 'By Blood'
The wording in the Cherokee Nation's legal doctrine has been used to exclude Black people whose ancestors were once enslaved by the Cherokees — known as Freedmen — from their full tribal rights.
by Mary Louise Kelly
Feb 25, 2021
2 minutes
The Cherokee Nation's Supreme Court ruled this week to remove the words "by blood" from its constitution and other legal doctrines.
The words, added to the constitution in 2007, have been used to exclude Black people whose ancestors were enslaved by the tribe from obtaining full Cherokee Nation citizenship rights.
There are currently , thousands of whom were removed
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