Descendants of Cherokee Freedmen Seek Recognition

It’s one of the most controversial issues in Indian country, the issue of the Freedmen.

Cherokee Freedmen were former slaves adopted into the Cherokee tribe after the Trail of Tears. Today, descendants of the Freedmen say they've been denied citizenship and other rights owed to them. A federal judge is expected to rule on this issue sometime this year.

In the first of a series of Invisible Nations reports, Allison Herrera interviews Will Chavez. He's the interim editor of the Cherokee Phoenix and has covered this issue for more than a decade.

http://kosu.org/post/limbo-descendants-cherokee-freedmen-seek-recognition#stream/0