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SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
9
Tribe intensifies efforts to get Grand Ronde members counted
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
With the U.S. Census Bureau
cutting its operations short by a
month, Grand Ronde Tribal efforts
have intensified to ensure members
get counted by the new Sept. 30
deadline.
Census response rates have his-
torically been low in Tribal com-
munities and have remained so
during the COVID-19 pandemic
as many Tribes have instituted
additional safety measures, such as
suspending door-knocking efforts
and closing Reservation borders to
those from outside the community.
In the 2010 census, Native Amer-
icans and Alaskan Natives living on
Reservations were undercounted
by 4.9 percent, according to Census
Bureau data.
In Grand Ronde, efforts are un-
derway to close the response gap,
with 56 percent of local Tribal
households having been counted
thus far. Nationally, the Tribal
count is hovering at approximately
38 percent.
Grand Ronde Housing Adminis-
trative Program Manager Joan Dug-
ger organizes the Tribal Complete
Count Committee. The pandemic
has resulted in the suspension of
in-person contacts for the census,
but the committee is working on
other ways to get the word out.
“We’ve hired multiple Tribal
members to phone direct to Tribal
member families all over the Unit-
ed States to promote and increase
our Census 2020 response rate,”
Dugger said. “The Grand Ronde
Tribal Response Rate is nearing 56
percent, which is a direct result of
outreach that we have been work-
ing on. We are currently in the top
three of nine Tribes for the highest
response rate in Oregon.”
Other Oregon Tribal response
rates include the Confederated
Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw Indians, 62.5 percent;
Coquille Indian Tribe, 60.4 percent;
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla,
54.3 percent; Confederated Tribes
of Siletz Indians, 53.2 percent;
Burns Paiute Tribe, 42.9 percent;
Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs, 39.5 percent; Klamath
Tribes, 38.5; and Cow Creek Band
of Umpqua Indians, 33 percent.
Overall, Oregon is 18th in the
nation for census completion.
Other efforts to get out the count
include advertising through e-mail,
Smoke Signals and Facebook, and
working with state census repre-
sentatives to narrow down the list
of Grand Ronde Tribal members
who have not completed their cen-
sus forms, and assist them with any
questions they may have about the
census.
“We will have a table set up
with census information on Tribal
Council Election Day on Sept. 12,”
Dugger said. “There will also be
contact information provided for
follow up. … I have (also) been
notified that Census 2020 is still
accepting applications from Grand
Ronde Tribal members that wish to
secure a job.”
For the first time, the census is
also available online. Other options
are to call or use mail delivery to
return the questionnaire. Dugger
said it is extremely important for
Tribal members to participate in
the process because each response
is worth approximately $3,200 to
Tribal grant-funded programs that
benefit members.
The U.S. Constitution requires
the federal government conduct a
census every 10 years to determine
how many people are living in the
United States and a controversial
Trump administration proposal to
include a citizenship question on
this year’s census form was struck
down by a federal court.
The effort to ensure Tribal com-
munities are accurately count-
ed has prompted concern on the
federal level. Oregon’s Sens. Jeff
Merkley and Ron Wyden, along
with 17 other senators, are urging
the U.S. Department of Commerce
and Census Bureau to honor the
previously announced completion
date of Oct. 31.
“American Indian, Alaska Native
and Native Hawaiian leaders have
spent months coordinating with the
Census Bureau to prepare their
communities for the 2020 count and
to meet the bureau’s Oct. 31 dead-
line,” they wrote in a letter to the
agencies. “Their herculean efforts
to get out the count even during a
pandemic should not be discounted
or cut short. Failure to get a com-
plete and accurate count of these
community populations will have
long-term and devastating impacts
– from redistricting data, to federal
funding, to congressional represen-
tation. A fair and accurate census
is critical to Native communities’
continued and future prosperity.”
For more information on becoming a census taker,
contact Rita LaChance or e-mail
rita.f.lachance@2020census.gov. To learn more
about the census, visit www.grandronde.org/
census-2020/ or e-mail LaChance. She can
also be reached at 202-709-1456.
We Want To Hear From You!
To find out more, attend a FREE Start Your Business class!
JOIN US at the Grand Ronde Adult Education Building
on the second Thursday of every month at 4PM
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR
LEARN MORE AT:
WWW.meritnw.org
Or call 503 548-7314
That’s right, the Grand
Ronde Health &
Wellness Center
Comment Box is located
at the entrance of the
Health & Wellness
Center, next to the
drinking fountain. Share
your experience, good
or bad with us! We
look forward to
hearing what you
have to say.
