Investing in education, investing in the future

In the Cherokee Nation, education is the foundation of our success. That has been true for generations. Even prior to our removal to Indian Territory, education was critical. Renowned statesman Sequoyah invented a written syllabary, which enabled better communication and expanded knowledge opportunities. Increased literacy happened very quickly, making us stronger and more sophisticated as a tribal nation. After removal, education was the first thing our ancestors invested in to build our tribe back up. Decades before Oklahoma statehood, our ancestors established the Cherokee National Female Seminary, the oldest educational institution west of the Mississippi River for women of any race. Upon graduation, many of those young women became public school teachers in our Cherokee communities.


During my tenure as Principal Chief, the tribe has nearly doubled its scholarship funding, from $8.5 million to almost $16 million. Since 2010, more than 27,000 scholarships have been awarded through the Cherokee Nation higher education program. We have increased the number of scholarships awarded by nearly 45 percent.


More Cherokees are benefitting from tribal college scholarships than ever before. Right now, almost 5,000 tribal citizens are fulfilling their dream of earning an undergraduate degree. Every qualified Cherokee student who applied in the last funding cycle was issued a Cherokee Nation scholarship. These recipients embody some of the most important values we hold as a tribe, including personal accountability, community and responsibility.


Additionally, the Cherokee Nation Foundation offers multiple scholarship opportunities, including the growing “Leave a Legacy” endowment effort. It is another way that the Cherokee Nation invests in our future. Cherokee Nation’s economic future, along with Oklahoma’s, depends on a well-educated workforce and college graduates. The education staff at Cherokee Nation works diligently to expand opportunities for young people.


Cherokee Nation recently announced a new partnership with Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine for a Tahlequah branch campus. As part of that effort, $350,000 was donated to scholarships for students to attend the new school. Cherokee Nation Businesses contributed $100,000 of the amount raised. Many Cherokee Nation citizens will be the recipients of these scholarships at the future OSU Medical School.


Sometimes an opportunity is all a young person needs to reach their potential. As we continue to strengthen and grow the Cherokee Nation, education and opportunities for our people remain a strategic priority. Education is a vital part of our history, and it is equally important to our bright future. When we invest in education, we invest in our people and their collective ability to lift us all to greater heights.

Read More

Reforming Johnson-O’Malley can change lives

The Johnson-O’Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act, recently signed into law, requires the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the count of Native American students eligible for the JOM program annually. The bill will establish a new baseline count of JOM-eligible students, which includes thousands of Cherokee youth. The new modern, accurate allocation funding formula will better meet the needs of Native students across the country.

This issue is one Cherokee Nation has been advocating to change for years, since I was a member of the Tribal Council. When federal funding was frozen at the 1995 level and capped at 278,000 students nationally, it negatively impacted our families, schools and communities. By law, the U.S. has a trust responsibility to tribal nations. But the population and funding formulas to fund that trust never grew, even though Indian Country has grown rapidly since 1995.

The U.S. Census confirms American Indians are among the fastest-growing populations in America. According to the National Indian Education Association, the FY18 federal budget allocated only $15 million of the estimated $42 million required for fully funding JOM in the United States. That’s why we have spent more than two decades advocating for JOM reform. It is an incredibly important program for regional students. In northeast Oklahoma, JOM’s mission is to ensure every Indian child in the Cherokee Nation’s service area receives educational opportunities – books, fees, equipment – that their schools would not otherwise provide. Additionally, successful JOM programs incorporate tribal culture and heritage as part of a base curriculum.

There are more than 130,000 American Indian school-aged children in our state’s public schools – the highest number in the country. Oklahoma continues to be one of the worst states for K–12 school funding cuts. Since 2008, Oklahoma has slashed education funding by almost 25 percent. In the Cherokee Nation alone, we have more than 26,000 Native students. That’s why this new act is so very important.  The JOM program awards contracts based on the number of Native students served, making it imperative that updated, accurate numbers be reflected in those contracts.

The JOM Modernization Act is a major step in the right direction, and I look forward to seeing the positive ripple effect it will have throughout Indian Country. With the passage of this bill, I believe we are poised to build a stronger future for the Cherokee Nation, for Oklahoma and for all of Indian Country. It is our responsibility to keep pushing for greater successes and raising the bar for our JOM programs. Every child deserves an education that meets his or her needs, and we want our youth to become everything God intended them to be.

To learn more about Cherokee Nation JOM or other education services, visit www.cherokee.org/services/education.

Read More

Years in the making: radioactive waste removed from Cherokee Nation

It was a historic day in December when we celebrated the final removal of more than 10,000 tons of nuclear waste that have plagued Sequoyah County and its citizens for decades. More than 500 semi-tractor loads removed the dangerous substances from the former Sequoyah Fuels Corporation site near Gore. Our Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s office and Secretary of Natural Resources office collaborated with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office to undertake this immense task.

The original uranium processing plant was opened by Kerr-McGee in 1970 and converted yellowcake uranium into fuel for nuclear reactors. However, over the years, the plant changed several times before General Atomics began operations as Sequoyah Fuels Corporation. Many of the residents who live in Gore and who worked at the site over the years are Cherokee.

Our tribal government has been involved in litigation over the Sequoyah Fuels site since 2004. I’m proud that Cherokee Nation took the lead in removing a risk that would have threatened our communities forever. This would not have been possible if the tribe and state had not worked cooperatively, presenting a united front in court to ensure removal of this material.

The removal process took 18 months and leaves the riverbed area where the Arkansas River and Illinois River meet free of nuclear waste for the first time in almost 50 years. Tons of radioactive waste remained at the facility when it closed in 1993 after multiple lethal accidents. In 2004, Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma entered into a settlement agreement that required the highest-risk waste be removed from the site. The owners of Sequoyah Fuels Corporation announced in 2016 their intention to bury the waste on site. Thankfully, a judge forced the company to comply with the original agreement, clearing the way for complete removal instead.

This material is no longer a ticking time bomb on the banks of two of our most precious natural resources – waterways along the Arkansas and Illinois rivers. Our tribe’s natural resources remain protected, and the 41,000 residents of Sequoyah County will no longer be in harm’s way. The radioactive waste has been transported to a disposal site in Utah, where the uranium will be recycled and reused.

Sara Hill, Cherokee Nation’s secretary of Natural Resources, said it best: “Decommissioning this plant was never enough to satisfy our goals for a clean and safe environment…removal of this highly contaminated waste was our goal all along.”

Mission accomplished. Cherokee Nation will continue to step up, lead and forge the partnerships that will protect our citizens, families and communities for generations.

Read More