Federal reforms have made Native American health care and education programs more accessible to tribal citizens who are descended from slaves held by citizens of several tribal nations in Oklahoma. But Freedmen descendants still face barriers when exercising their rights. A report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office ahead of Black History Month shows that enrolled Cherokee and Seminole Freedmen descendants are still sometimes asked for proof of “Indian blood” while seeking federal services. The Muscogee, Chickasaw and Choctaw nations deny their Freedmen descendants citizenship altogether.
