We refuse to forget : a true story of Black Creeks, American identity, and power Cover Image

We refuse to forget : a true story of Black Creeks, American identity, and power / Caleb Gayle.

True story of Black Creeks, American identity, and power (portion title)

Summary:

"Gayle tells the ... story of the Creek Nation, a Native tribe that two centuries ago both owned slaves and accepted Black people as full members. Thanks to the leadership of a chief named Cow Tom--a Black former slave--a treaty with the U.S. government recognized Creek citizenship for its Black members. Yet this equality was shredded in the 1970s when Creek leaders revoked the citizenship of Black Creeks, even those who could trace their tribal history back generations. Why did this happen? What led to this reversal? How was the U.S. government involved? And how can marginalized people today defend themselves? These are some of the questions that ... journalist Caleb Gayle explores in this ... examination of racial and ethnic identity. By delving deep into the historical record and interviewing Black Creeks suing the Creek Nation to have their citizenship reinstated, he lays bare the racism, ambition, and greed at the heart of this story"-- Provided by publisher.

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Record details

ISBN: 9780593329580
ISBN: 0593329589
Physical Description: xvii, 254 pages ; 24 cm
Publisher: New York : Riverhead Books, 2022.
Copyright: ©2022

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction: "I Got Indian in Me" -- pt. 1. Who we've been. Collateral damage -- Enough family. Let's create a nation -- Benjamin Hawkins: agent of civilization -- Cow Tom builds a home --The moral man -- The gift he gave -- ...And Oklahoma became the south -- The invasion of Dawes, Curtis, and Bixby too -- His holy ground -- Living the dream, surviving the nightmares -- You'll know him by his fruit -- Johnnie Mae stopped getting mail -- pt. 2. Who we can become. Becoming a Simmons -- Radical memories -- Reparations and the Black Creek -- American collateral -- Empowerment, not dilution.