The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) began in 1977 with a vision for the next seven generations of Native people to be successful, respected, influential, and contributing members of our vast and ever-changing global community. The success of Native people is not solely represented by one organization, group, or society, but through the support of each other, we see that success.
One partnership AISES will be profoundly engaging over the next year is with representatives from the State of Colorado and the U.S. Census 2020 because the Decennial Census is happening in April 2020. The success of the U.S. Census can mean many things for Indian country in addition to population counts. The U.S. Census data influences how congressional seats are allocated, how federal money is distributed for programs like healthcare, housing and education, and where businesses will plan and build new stores.
The U.S. Census hosted the first Urban Indian Leadership Circle in Colorado in May 2019 in Denver, Colorado. AISES Director of Marketing and Communication Montoya Whiteman joined close to 30 American Indian and Alaska Native leaders who were certified as tribal partners, and to begin AISES' role in assisting in outreach and support in reaching a successful 2020 U.S. Census. In the upcoming months, you will start to see U.S. Census 2020 information on the AISES website, in the Winds of Change magazine, Paths to Opportunities newsletters, and more.
The Native American Rights Fund along with former Zia Tribal Chairman and Census Tribal Coordinator for 12 states, and 19 tribes, Amadeo Shije, are leading the effort in Indian country for the U.S. Census 2020 with the campaign “Natives Count.” By visiting census.narf.org, you too can join the effort in keeping Indian country successful whether it is being hired for a job such as a census taker, recruiting assistant, office staff, and supervisory staff. Additional resources on how you can volunteer are also available at https://census.narf.org/.
Join the Natives Count effort at census.narf.org and download the flyer to inform your community!
