Catawba Indian Nation Chief William “Bill” Harris, 67, has led the tribe for a decade but declared this is his last term, which will last through 2023. It’s a critical time for the tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina, since it struggled with Covid-19 at the same time its new casino, Two Kings, is being built in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The casino project began in 2013, overcoming political opposition, rejected applications and a federal lawsuit by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. But on April 16, a federal judge denied the lawsuit and a section of the casino will open in July.
The casino is projected to generate $72 million in revenue in its first year and $150 million annually by its fifth year. That will have a real impact on the tribe, whose unemployment rate in April 2020 was 13.8 percent, more than three times the rate of North and South Carolina. The tribe’s median household income is around $30,000, about 30 percent below the median income in both Carolinas.
Harris stated, “The most important thing about the economic stability that’s coming is that you’re no longer waiting for Congress to dictate what you can and cannot have. What everybody has said about indigenous people is that they don’t know how to handle their affairs. But when you look at indigenous communities who have this kind of opportunity, they excel in this. Look at the successful indigenous tribes and communities out there who have benefited extremely from gaming. The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns five of the Hard Rock Cafés, for one.”
Harris said he wants to tell the Catawba community, “This was a long hard fight. We’re righting historical wrongs. Acknowledge that and embrace what that is.” He added, “To the non-Catawba community, what I want to say is we have been your friends for generations. For hundreds of years, we have welcomed you into our community. All we ask is that you are accepting as well, because we never know when something that Catawbas can bring to the table will allow a project to move forward.”
He said he hopes tribal members who will work at the casino will bear in mind, “You are truly an ambassador for our nation. It’s work that they will have pride in. When they become grandparents or great grandparents, they can actually sit back and say, ‘I was there in 2021 when that door first opened.’’’
