Tomorrow at 2PM CDT: Press Conference—Black Creek Freedmen Plaintiffs Announce New Legal Action One Year After Landmark Ruling
Tulsa, OK — On the one-year anniversary of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court’s landmark ruling unanimously affirming that Black Creek Freedmen are full citizens of the Nation under the Treaty of 1866, Plaintiffs Rhonda K. Grayson and Jeffrey D. Kennedy will file a new action for declaratory and injunctive relief against Principal Chief David Hill, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Citizenship Board, and its individual board members.
Despite the Court’s July 23, 2025 decision, Principal Chief Hill and the Citizenship Board have engaged in months of ongoing delays and willful noncompliance by refusing to issue citizenship cards as ordered by the Court. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the Defendants’ continued violations of the Treaty of 1866 and to enforce the Nation’s highest court ruling recognizing Black Creek Freedmen as citizens.
WHEN: Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 at 2:00 PM CDT
WHERE: Crowe & Dunlevy, Braniff Building located at 324 N Robinson Avenue, Suite 100, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102
WHO:
Rhonda Grayson, Board Chairwoman and Band Leader at Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, and Black Creek Indian
Jeffrey Kennedy, Vice-Chair Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, and Black Creek Indian
Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, M.Ed., President and Chief Legal Counsel, Justice For Greenwood, and Black Creek Indian
Attorney Jana Knott, Co-Counsel, Bass Law
Attorney Lauren Briggerman, Co-Counsel, Squire Patton Boggs
Attorney Brenda Golden, Creek Indian
Elected Officials
Black Creek Indian Freedmen Descendants
WHAT: Plaintiffs Rhonda K. Grayson and Jeffrey D. Kennedy, alongside their legal team, will announce a new legal action seeking to enforce the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court’s citizenship ruling and address the Nation’s continued refusal to issue citizenship cards.
WHY: The filing comes one year after the Nation’s highest court unanimously affirmed that Black Creek Freedmen are citizens under the Treaty of 1866. Despite that landmark decision, Nation officials have failed to implement the ruling, making this the next legal step to secure the rights the Court has already recognized.
Read the July 23, 2025 Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court's Order here.
MEDIA CONTACT:Media@JusticeForGreenwood.org
ABOUT GREENWOOD
Greenwood, most revered for “Black Wall Street” was co-founded by Black Creeks—it became one of the most prosperous, organized, and successful Black communities in United States history, and a place for Black people to escape the political, economic, and social oppression of southern lawmakers post-civil war.
ABOUT JUSTICE FOR GREENWOOD
Justice for Greenwood (JFG) is a 501(c)(3) organization advocating for reparatory justice for the communities historically harmed by racial violence and economic exploitation, grounded in the belief that true democracy cannot occur until full rights and redress are secured.