TULSA, Okla. — Creek Freedmen are calling for reconciliation after the Muscogee Creek Nation Supreme Court ruled that they are citizens of the tribe.
“It was bigger than us,” said Jeff Kennedy. “It was all God.”
Kennedy is one part of the pair that applied for citizenship years ago. 2 News talked with him on July 24, after his attorney hosted a press conference to celebrate the ruling.

“I’m thinking about my grandkids and my great grandkids, and my great great grandkids, along with the other people that didn’t actually make it to this point,” said Kennedy.
He said the Muscogee Creek Nation Supreme Court decision left him speechless, 6 years after the citizenship board denied his application.
WATCH: 'It was bigger than us': Plaintiffs react to Freedmen Citizenship ruling
They told him and Rhonda Grayson that, because they could only trace their family history to the Freedmen Rolls, instead of the Blood Rolls, they were not eligible.
Kennedy said the ruling changes everything, “We can build from this point on and have a solid foundation in the making of who we are."
The Muscogee Nation’s Supreme Court decision struck down the constitutional provision that made that possible and upheld the 1866 treaty.

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Muscogee Nation Supreme Court rules Freedmen are citizens
More than a dozen people gathered on July 24 for the press conference, hosted by their attorney, calling for reconciliation with the Muscogee Nation and moving forward together.
“These are my Creek brothers and sisters, and we’re moving forward as one family,’ said attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons.
Solomon-Simmons hopes to meet with Principal Chief David Hill next week to carve a path forward for the potentially thousands of Freedmen descendants who can prove their connection to the rolls.
“If we can do that as one nation, one body, one voice, I think it can work out without a lot of confusion and tension,” said Solomon-Simmons.
State lawmakers were also on hand, saying the ruling is a win for tribal sovereignty.
“By sticking to the letter of the law, although there may be a lot of different thoughts and emotions going on amongst different groups of people today, the Creek Nation won to strength the treaty of 1866 which strengthens the sovereignty,” said Rep. Ron Stewart.
Grayson and Kennedy hope to get their citizenship cards next week.
Muscogee Creek Nation Chief David Hill addressed the ruling in a Facebook post July 24:
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