The descendants of slaves owned by members of the Muscogee Nation went to tribal court Thursday to get their rights reinstated.
The tribe’s revised 1979 Constitution took away rights given to slaves at the end of the Civil War.
At a Wednesday press conference held at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons quoted the original Treaty of 1866.
“Creeks of African descent are guaranteed full citizenship within the Creek Nation and all the rights and benefits thereof,” read Solomon-Simmons.
Solomon-Simmons accuses the Muscogee Nation, formerly known as the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, of racism.
The tribe says it is not about race, but about direct blood descendants.
A ruling is pending from Thursday’s hearing in front of Judge Denette Mouser for a summary judgement.