It is understandable that one might have a negative
first reaction to the census - why should we trust
the U.S. government?
But I believe that there are many good reasons to
be counted, and particularly counted as Native if
indeed you are Native.
First of all, the Indian population has been badly
undercounted in the past. I live in Boston and in
our urban environment, we have many Indians from
different tribes who came here for work, or in
some cases were forcibly relocated off their land.
Political clout, and funding for programs, to some
extent depend on numbers. In the past, Indain
people were sometimes presumed to be Hispanic or
Asian, or even foreigners, particularly if they
speak their Native language rather than English.
This makes a sizeable fraction of our People
invisible, particularly in urban and other non-
reservation environments. An accurate count of
our numbers would help to establish our Community
and help us to obtain recognition and funding.
The Census Bureau did stand tall on at least one
occasion in the past: When the War Department
asked them during WW2 for the names and locations
of Americans of Japanese descent, the Census
Bureau refused to give the information, saying
that in order to accurate information they
needed to insure confidentiality. The case went
to court and the Census Bureau won. So, there
is historical precedent that the information will
be held confidential if you give it.
That is my opinion - let's stand up and be counted.
Mary Jo (Mohawk)