Mixed Race Studies

The black Americans suing to reclaim their Native American identity

The Guardian
2018-10-02

Caleb Gayle

Rhonda Grayson, with an image of her great-great grandfather Willie Cohee. Photograph: Brett Deering for the Guardian

Their ancestors were black slaves owned by Native Americans. Now they’re suing the Creek nation to fully restore their citizenship

Johnnie Mae Austin and her grandson, Damario Solomon-Simmons, can tell you everything about their ancestry. They can go back as far as 1810, the year Solomon-Simmons’ great-great-great-great-grandfather, Cow Tom, was born. With undeniable pride, they recount the man’s feats of bravery during the civil war, and his leadership within Oklahoma’s Creek population.

In fact, they are so determined to let the world know exactly who Cow Tom was that they’re suing the Creek nation to make sure his descendants aren’t forgotten.

Solomon-Simmons and his grandmother are black, but they argue they’re also Creek, and they’re fighting to reclaim their identity…

Red the entire article here.

Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band 2015 Conference

Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band
Moore, Oklahoma
2015-02-17

Rhonda Kay Grayson

For Immediate Release

Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band
P.O. Box 6366
Moore, OK, 73135

The Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band is thrilled to announce its 2015 conference. The conference theme is “Africans and Indians: Eating from the same pot, Generations of shared culture, traditions, language, food and music”. The conference will be held at Langston University, (OKC-Campus) 4205 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, May 29-30, 2015. The two day conference will focus on the history and plight of the African Indian Freedmen from all Five Tribes of Oklahoma, Indian Territory (Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole). Activities and presentations will include genealogy workshops; a Mvskoke language workshop; a presentation by the renowned Storyteller, Wallace Moore; presentations by scholars, lecturers, and attorneys; a panel discussion; and a presentation by the Urban League ‘Young Professionals.’ In addition, a special viewing of the MCIFB’s documentary “Bloodlines” will be shown at the historic Paramount Theater, centrally located in downtown OKC, only minutes away from the historic Deep Deuce and Bricktown district.

Who should attend?

Scholars, History Buffs, Genealogy Societies, Genealogists, Family Historians, Beginner, intermediate, or experienced researchers, Hobbyists, Students, The descendants of Black Indians, the general public, and anyone interested in learning more about the unique history of the Black Indians…

For more information, click here.