Freedmen descendants and their supporters will protest outside the Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on Friday.

The BIA office cut funds to the Seminole Nation when tribal members tried to deny citizenship to the Freedmen. Similar measures weren't taken against the Cherokee Nation when the Freedmen were ousted.

The Cherokee Freedmen are back in the tribe pending resolution of lawsuits in federal and tribal court. Some members of Congress want to cut funds to the tribe unless the Freedmen are restored to permanent citizenship.

Recent D.C. Circuit Decision:
Vann v. Kempthorne (July 29, 2008)

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