Judy Goforth Parker, PhD, RN

The Chickasaw Legislature met October 19th, 2007. Our annual election of officers was held at the beginning of session. This meeting marked the first meeting of the 24th year of the Legislature of the Chickasaw Nation under the constitution ratified in 1983. The outgoing Chairperson, D. Scott Colbert, is flanked by incoming Chairperson Linda Briggs and the newly elected Secretary, Judy Goforth Parker. Our terms of office are for one year, with term limits being 2 consecutive years.  Scott has served 2 years as chairperson, and he did an outstanding job. Linda and I are looking forward to the coming year as we are faced by new challenges and exciting opportunities for the Chickasaw Nation.

As you may know, I am a member of the Tribal Leader’s Diabetes Committee. (TLDC). My goal is to give you a history of the TLDC, but for the moment, we are in urgent need. TLDC, American Diabetes Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and others are lobbying Congress for the continued funding of the Special Diabetes Project for Indians.

 What we are attempting to do is contact our Congressional representatives and ask for their support of the SDPI funding to continue for the next 5 years. Our hope is to attach this piece of the legislation to the medicare bill. My request is that you contact your representatives in the state and district that you live. I am including the National Indian Health Board web site that will give further details on this important piece of legislation. (http://www.nihb.org/).

Your input is very important at this time in history. So many important bills are before Congress, and if our voice is not heard, we may lose out. Please contact the representative from your state. An advocacy kit is included on the NIHB web site to help you in drafting a letter. Let’s get involved and let our voices be heard.

                                                                                                                     Greetings. (Chukma). Today, we celebrated the 47th annual meeting of the Chickasaw Nation, the great unconquered and unconquerable Chickasaw Nation. The Annual Meeting and Festival was filled with a week of exciting activities. We celebrated on Monday the 6th inauguration of Governor Bill Anoatubby and the 3rd inauguration of Lt. Jefferson Keel. This year’s theme was “United, We Thrive.” I think that it is a theme that will become obvious as we end this year and begin a new year. The plans for the Chickasaw Nation are great, and I am excited to be a part of this great Nation.

The first official activity I attended was the princess pageant that was held on Monday night. The Chickasaw Princess Pageant is a favorite of many. It is breathtaking to watch these young ladies share with us their talent, and also a difficult job for a set of judges. Our princesses serve us proudly throughout the year as they travel across the United States representing the Chickasaw Nation. I will try to include some pictures of the princesses in a future entry. Tuesday, I attended the Cultural Evening. This is an event that continues to grow and is attended by both Chickasaws and visitors as we share our culture, crafts, and food.  

 The State of the Nation Address was something that you should not miss. Governor Anoatubby did such a great job. I am sure that you can go to Chickasaw.net for a full account of the day. I have watched Governor Anoatubby address the Chickasaw Nation so many times, but today was just simply the best. We continue to attract an overflow crowd that fills both Fletcher Auditorium and an overflow tent. State Representative Lisa Billy was the emcee, and the Directors of different divisions reported on their progress as a part of the program.

I have to admit that I am new at blogging, but I do believe that it is a good way to increased my contact with you, the Chickasaw Nation. I welcome your input.