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HomeGovernmentCandidatesBrooklin Sweezy hosts election dinner in her bid for Osage Nation Congress

Brooklin Sweezy hosts election dinner in her bid for Osage Nation Congress

Sweezy is running for a spot on the 9th Osage Nation Congress in the June 3 General Election

GRAYHORSE VILLAGE – Brooklin Sweezy hosted an election dinner here, sharing her education experience and inspirations for why she is running for the 9th Osage Nation Congress.

She addressed about 30 attendees on May 4, after guests enjoyed a meal that consisted of barbecued meats and sides. The meal was provided by her mother, who owns her own catering business.  

Sweezy said as a little girl, she grew up tagging along with her dad James Dailey and her grandmother, Nora Osage. She attended dinners and meetings with them, where Osages would talk openly about issues affecting the tribe.

“They would just talk for hours and hours. I would always try to nonchalantly sit around, hang out and listen to what they were saying. Until one of them caught me and told me to go play. But when I was listening, they were always talking of ways to improve our people, our tribe and what was going on politically,” she said. “So I’ve always been embraced in this political environment. From a very young age. I’ve always had an interest in wanting to help others, and not putting myself first. My grandma Nora Osage used to tell me when I was just a teenager that one day I was going to be a leader. She used to tell me that all the time.”

One of her inspirations was the first woman Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller. She got to meet Mankiller when she was young and it left an impression on her.

Sweezy recently graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in Indigenous Peoples Law, citing the ON Higher Education Scholarship and how it helped her pay for her education. She said she was a staunch advocate for increasing the scholarship amount for Osage students.

“To obtain that degree, it was very difficult for me and I have a great sense of accomplishment for completing that program. I was able to learn how to become a legal expert in legal research and writing. I’m confident that I can argue to defend our tribe,” she said.

She detailed her 15 years of accounting experience, working for the Stillwater Housing Authority. While employed there she completed an audit with zero findings, “And I’m very proud of that. I’m able to review budgets and financial reports with a fine-tooth comb.”

“I want to encourage our younger voters to please get involved. Listen to what’s going on, and give back to your own community. I want to give back to my tribe, as my tribe has always been giving. This place always feels like home. And we can all practice our own civic engagement by voting in this election and staying active in our government. I humbly ask you for your vote. And I asked you for your support. And my lifelong goal in helping – please let me be your voice.”

Election Day is Monday, June 3. The poll opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m.

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Shannon Shaw Duty
Shannon Shaw Dutyhttps://osagenews.org

Title: Editor
Email: sshaw20@gmail.com
Twitter: @dutyshaw
Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community
Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists. She has served as a board member for LION Publishers, as Vice President for the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education, on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (now Indigenous Journalists Association) and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive NAJA's Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.

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