HOMINY VILLAGE – Christa Fulkerson hosted an afternoon meal here sharing her campaign as she runs for an Osage Nation Congressional seat in the 2024 General Election.
Seeking Osage elected office for the first time, Fulkerson hosted her event at the Hominy Village Community Building on April 7 where more than 120 attendees enjoyed a meal and listened to Fulkerson’s campaign highlights. Her cousin, Ericca Unap-Dennis, introduced Fulkerson that afternoon.
“She is an esteemed candidate for the 2024 9th Osage Congress, she is deeply rooted in her Osage heritage and (is) a granddaughter of the late Myrtle (Penn) Morrell Unap and the great-granddaughter of the late Robert Morrell and Grace Penn,” Unap-Dennis said. “Christa’s candidacy is a reflection of her profound love and respect for Osages. Combined with her dynamic blend of leadership acumen, her innovative thought and a committed vision for the growth and prosperity of the Osage Nation, she is here to offer that and ask for your vote.”
Fulkerson, who lives in Tulsa, works in grants management for Oklahoma State University and previously held the Grants Management Director post for the Osage Nation government. She also graduated from OSU and holds a bachelor’s degree in human services management, as well as a masters of business administration.
“I’m in this race because I care about being Osage and I care about Osages,” Fulkerson said. “I worked on the executive (branch) side of things, so I know how things work in our tribe, so I know who to reach out to whenever someone needs something. I’m here to learn and to help our tribal members, whether they’re inside the reservation or outside the reservation.”
“As a Congressperson, if I am elected, I want to look into how we are doing our taxes, how we’re taxing people, I want to support entrepreneurship and our economic development,” Fulkerson said. “We have our LLC arm, but they need some help, they can’t go it alone … Anything that can bring development within Osage County, the Osage Reservation is something I want to support. It’s very hard living here and keeping a job and finding a job and finding groceries. That’s not lost on me, I’ve lived it. It’s hard for everyone right now, inflation’s really high, the cost of healthcare is high.”
“The Office of the Chiefs and the (ON) healthcare system are trying to build a (system) for our elders and our people so we can be self-sufficient to be sovereign – that’s what we’re all working toward. So in order to be able to support our people correctly, we have to build infrastructure and capacity … I want, as a Congress person, to be able to support that wholeheartedly, but at the same time, my finance, accounting and grants management background will help me make those decisions that are well vetted and informed,” Fulkerson said. “I want to be able to understand a program and figure out is this a need or is this a want? It’s very important to understand that when you’re on Congress.”
