OKLAHOMA CITY AREA REPRESENTATIVE
KWAH A HUT, My name is Jennifer Wilson and I’m running for the Caddo Nation Oklahoma City District seat.
My family is from the Joe Cross family from Colony, OK. My Caddo grandmother was Francis Elliot. I live in Norman, OK and taught in the public school system for 25 years and am now retired. I am the mother of 4 children and 7 grandchildren. Since my retirement I have been involved with my church activities and play tennis as often as I can.
I helped organize the Caddo Metro Cultural Club which promotes the Caddo language, songs, and dances for the Caddo people here in the metro area as well as all Caddos. Since 2011 we have organized the Caddo Festival with the help of the funding from the OK Arts Council, the OK Humanities, and the Caddo Tribe. The festival brings together all Caddos for a day to learn about our history and spend the afternoon dancing, singing and coming together to fellowship.
The last three years I have seen our tribe move forward with the help of the American Rescue Plan monies, from the federal government, our council, and our chairman. Every cent we have spent has been with the help of our legal counsel to make sure we could legally spend the federal dollars. There are some tribes that did not follow the guidelines and are in trouble with the federal government and may have to pay back some of their monies.
With some of the monies, we have acquired land for future investment for economic development. We are also working toward self- governance so as not have to rely on the BIA. One of the ways to do this is to have 3 clean audits. We have two and are almost finished with the third one. We will continue to move forward for the Caddo people.
This is an exciting time for the Caddo peopIe and I ask for your vote on July 12th to continue the work for the Caddo people. Go to the Caddo Nation website to fill out the form to register to vote, and/or request an absentee ballot if unable to vote at a polling site in person.
My name is Brittany Habbart, and I am running for Oklahoma City Representative. I am the granddaughter of Cheryl Edge Dutton and descendant of the Edge and Inkanish families.
I am a lawyer and a graduate of the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University’s law school. My experience spans across tribal finance, federal policy, and the judiciary. I have worked at a law firm specializing in tribal public finance, served as a Policy Fellow at the National Congress of American Indians, and completed internships with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Superior Court of Arizona, and former Representative Deb Haaland.
As someone who did not grow up near the Tribe, I truly care about the connection of our members and want to listen to what everyone has to say no matter what their background is. I am thankful for our members who are comfortable openly voicing their needs but sometimes people need individual focus and overall it will be helpful to see which needs our members collectively ask for. My plan, if elected, is to create an anonymous submission form for issues and suggestions, which I promise I will not disclose anyone’s names, and work towards addressing the needs of our Oklahoma City community. At our meetings, I would announce the status updates of the anonymous individual summarized complaints.
I am very communicative, love to plan events, and am good at using social media/technology. I have held multiple leadership roles in local and national organizations, including serving as: the Secretary of the National Native American Law Students Association (“NALSA”); Career Chair for ASU NALSA; President of the Native Cohort at Ohio State; and PR Chair of the Native American Bar Association of D.C. In these leadership roles, I have organized and budgeted multiple events and programs and collaborated with tribal communities, school administrations, and other local and national organizations. In many of these roles, I was the person primarily responsible for sending out newsletters/social media posts and organizing events. I enjoy having folks come together and also being informed on what is happening around them.
I see the Oklahoma City Representative role as someone who is truly there to help the Caddos in the area, to create spaces where Caddos can come together for both fun and to share their concerns, and to serve as a resource to communicate what is happening with the Tribe. If given the honor to serve our district, I know that I can fulfill that role. Thank you for your time considering me as your next representative and I hope you vote July 12, no matter the candidate.
