Cherokee Congress foe to retire

Cherokee Congress foe to retire

By Rob Capriccioso

Story Published: Feb 14, 2010

WASHINGTON – Prominent African-American Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., has announced that she’ll retire at the end of this Congress. Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is well-known in Indian country for offering a bill to terminate the Cherokee Nation.

Her age, 76, has been broadly cited as one reason she may wish to retire, although she had sent out fundraising letters in recent days.

Cherokee Nation leaders generally reacted positively to the development.

“Diane Watson has been the only member of Congress to threaten tribes with termination, even though that policy proved to be a total failure 60 years ago,” said Principal Chief Chad Smith.

“She used her congressional seat to bully tribes when the issues that she disagreed with were being decided by federal courts.”

Smith was referring to the contentious Cherokee Freedmen issue, an ongoing dispute in the tribe, over whether descendents of slaves historically held by tribal members should be allowed membership.

In 2006, after the tribe’s high court ruled that the descendents should remain on the tribal rolls, Smith called for an emergency vote, which ended in the Freedmen being removed from the rolls.

Supporters of that action have argued that tribal sovereignty allows the tribe to determine who its members should be.

Watson strongly disagreed, threatening to block federal funds to the tribe, and going so far as to offer legislation to terminate the tribe.

Controversies involving the issue continue to be argued in federal court.

Many in Indian country are wary of federal lawmakers who believe they have the imperative to put an end to a tribe after it expresses sovereignty.

Smith said the tribe has been successful in unifying Indian country against Watson due to her “anti-Indian sentiment.”

In recent months, Smith and other tribal leaders have thrown their support behind Felton Newell, an African-American lawyer from Los Angeles, who announced he was running for Watson’s seat before she decided to retire. He supports the legal right of the tribe to remove the Freedmen.

“We look forward to leaders like Felton Newell working to repair the damage to Indian country inflicted by Watson and constructively find ways for the African-American and American Indian communities to work together,” Smith said.

Upon learning of the lawmaker’s impending exit, Cherokee Nation council member Tina Glory Jordan said she tries not to call any person an enemy, but she believes Watson’s retirement is “probably best for Indian country.”