{"id":1777,"date":"2020-09-30T14:36:20","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T19:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=1777"},"modified":"2020-09-30T14:36:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T19:36:20","slug":"cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Navajo Nation tackles COVID-19 and Census 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D6heZdh-SQg\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cronkite News Video by Luke Simmons: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/D6heZdh-SQg>Native CARES Act<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Navajo drives unite two goals: COVID-19 relief and upping census participation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, September 30, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Daja E. Henry<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nMANY FARMS \u2013 On a hazy weekday morning, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and about two dozen masked volunteers pull into the parking lot of a local chapter house. For as far as the eye can see, cars and trucks line up along Indian Route 59.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe volunteers, including representatives from \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wck.org\/\">World Central Kitchen<\/a>, hustle to unload horse trailers crammed with cases of bottled water, diapers and boxes of mostly locally sourced foods \u2013 including \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearenavajo.org\/we-are-navajo\/NavajoSteamCorn\">neeshjizhii<\/a>, a steamed corn that one volunteer calls \u201cgold.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nHygiene kits of masks, hand sanitizer and toilet paper, supplied by \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coreresponse.org\/covid-19\/navajo-nation\">CORE<\/a>, the Community Organized Relief Effort, await distribution.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n <figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"1781\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020\/manyfarmschapter\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manyfarmschapter.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"manyfarmschapter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A relief drive on the Navajo Nation Reservation delivers COVID supplies to dozens of families in the Many Farms area while helping to sign more residents up for the census. The September 17 event was the latest in a series of COVID-19 relief efforts held since the tribe received the final portion of its CARES Act money. Photo by Daja Henry \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manyfarmschapter-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manyfarmschapter.jpg\" alt=\"manyfarmschapter\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1781\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> A relief drive on the Navajo Nation Reservation delivers COVID supplies to dozens of families in the Many Farms area while helping to sign more residents up for the census. The September 17, 2020, event was the latest in a series of COVID-19 relief efforts held since the tribe received the final portion of its CARES Act money. Photo by Daja Henry \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAfter a prayer, the workers begin hoisting supplies into the car trunks and pickup beds of tribal members. Then residents are directed to census specialist Arbin Mitchell, who holds a \u201cShape Your Future\u201d Census 2020 banner to ensure no one passes until they\u2019ve signed up.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe drive is the latest in a series of <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19 relief<\/a> events Nez\u2019s office has held since the tribe received the final portion of its $714 million CARES Act money.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe effort has two goals: help the 174,000 residents of the reservation stay safe in the pandemic and increase Navajo participation in the census before counting ends.<P><\/P>\r\nEach week, helpers stop at as many as eight of the 110 chapter houses across the reservation, which stretches 27,000 square miles across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Chapters are the tribe\u2019s local government entities.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThere&#8217;s no large gathering, especially here on the Navajo Nation,\u201d Nez said. \u201cSo what&#8217;s the next best thing? These types of events. As they get their food, they stop \u2013 and they also get counted for the U.S. census.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"1784\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020\/covid19relief\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/covid19relief.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"covid19relief\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Navajo police officer Arnold Silversmith passes a hygiene kit containing masks, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other supplies to a volunteer during a COVID-19 relief drive earlier this month in Many Farms. Photo by Daja Henry \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/covid19relief-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/covid19relief.jpg\" alt=\"covid19relief\"  class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1784\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Navajo police officer Arnold Silversmith passes a hygiene kit containing masks, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other supplies to a volunteer during a COVID-19 relief drive earlier this month in Many Farms. Photo by Daja Henry \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Navajo Nation has had one of the highest per capita rates of \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov\/COVID-19\">COVID-19 cases<\/a>\r\nin the U.S. \u2013 more than 10,000 to date and more than 550 deaths. The tribe has enacted strict mask restrictions, stay-at-home orders and 57-hour weekend lockdowns.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nCARES Act dollars have paid for relief supplies such as those distributed at the Many Farms chapter house, as well as personal protective equipment and \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opvp.navajo-nsn.gov\/Portals\/0\/FILES\/PRESS%20RELEASES\/2020\/Jul\/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE%20-%20Nez-Lizer%20approve%20CARES%20Act%20funds%20for%20special%20duty%20pay%20and%20PPE%20for%20frontline%20workers%20disinfecting%20government%20facilities%20and%20more-opt.pdf\">front-line worker<\/a>\r\npay. The money also is going to \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opvp.navajo-nsn.gov\/Portals\/0\/FILES\/PRESS%20RELEASES\/2020\/Sep\/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE%20-%20NTUA%20connects%20electricity%20for%20over%20100%20homes%20using%20CARES%20Act%20funds%20more%20projects%20making%20progress_opt.pdf\">projects<\/a>\r\nthat address longstanding problems on the reservation, such as limited access to clean water, electricity and broadband internet connections.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nTribal officials noted that being undercounted in the census could cause issues that have plagued their community to drag on \u2013 or even worsen.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cMy people are left behind,\u201d said Katherine Arthur, president of Many Farms Chapter.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cMy people are scattered all over the place,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t have running water in their homes. We need education. We don\u2019t have telecommunication where the students are going to school. We don\u2019t have resources. We need funding to finance those kinds of services for my people so that we can at least come an inch up.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nAs of September 23, the census \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncai.org\/policy-research-center\/research-data\/prc-publications\/2020_Census_Response_Rate_-_Tribal_Lands_Summary_9_23_2020_FINAL.pdf\">self-response rate<\/a>\r\non the Navajo Nation was about 20%. In contrast, the state of Arizona has a \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/2020census.gov\/en\/response-rates\/nrfu.html\">rate<\/a>\r\nof about 63%.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAcross the U.S., census efforts have taken a hit because of COVID-19 precautions. Then last month, U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham announced that field data collection would end Sept. 30, a month earlier than the previous October 31 deadline. The Constitution requires a headcount every 10 years to determine representation in Congress and allocation of resources, such as funding for public infrastructure, schools and social programs.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe Navajo Nation joined a \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyerscommittee.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Complaint_8.18.20.pdf\">lawsuit<\/a>\r\nalleging the bureau\u2019s \u201crush plan\u201d set an unattainable goal that would dangerously undercount communities of color, and last week a federal judge issued an injunction barring the Trump administration from ending the count early.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nFour former Census Bureau directors have \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/7013550-Aug-4-2020-Statement-By-Former-U-S-Census-Bureau.html\">warned<\/a>\r\nthat an earlier deadline would result in an underrepresentation of hard-to-count populations, including Native Americans in rural areas. They\u2019re pushing for an extension to April 30, 2021, saying the U.S. otherwise will see \u201cseriously incomplete enumerations in many areas across our country.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nFor those who do not self-respond, follow-up efforts include going door to door. Navajo officials said that worked well in the past with residents who have no phones or internet connectivity.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nSo far, about \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/2020census.gov\/en\/response-rates\/nrfu.html\">31% of responses nationwide<\/a>\r\nhave come from such efforts.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cTen years ago, the census workers would go to the homes and knock on the door,\u201d Nez said. \u201cWe had our own Navajo census workers who spoke the language.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"1786\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020\/arbinmitchell\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arbinmitchell.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"arbinmitchell\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Arbin Mitchell, left, is a tribal partnership specialist for the 2020 Census. The pandemic has drastically reduced the amount of census workers on the reservation, he said. Photo by Daja E. Henry \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arbinmitchell-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arbinmitchell.jpg\" alt=\"arbinmitchell\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1786\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Arbin Mitchell, left, is a tribal partnership specialist for the 2020 Census. The pandemic has drastically reduced the amount of census workers on the reservation, he said. Photo by Daja E. Henry \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWorkers still go door to door, he said, but leave packets hanging from door knobs. Without Navajo census workers sitting with them and translating the forms, Navajo elders who are not proficient in English will be unable to complete the census, Nez added.<P><\/P>\r\nAs of the 2010 census, some 7,600 tribal residents spoke only Din\u00e9, the Navajo language.<P><\/P>\r\nJay R. Nez, vice president of the Rough Rock Chapter, said he had not participated in a census before. He said he\u2019d waited for 2010 census workers to come to his home, but he travels a lot for work, so he was not counted. He planned to take part this year.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nTechnological advancements have made it much easier, he noted, allowing people to fill out the form online. But those who do not have internet access still rely on in-person contact or phone calls and, \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/tribal\/?aianihh=2430\">according to Census Bureau data<\/a>, only about a quarter of homes on the Navajo Nation Reservation had broadband internet access in 2018.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThe 2020 census is an opportunity for our people to directly impact history,\u201d said Shaandiin Parrish, Miss Navajo Nation.<P><\/P>\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" data-attachment-id=\"1788\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-tackles-covid-19-and-census-2020\/navajonation-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/navajonation-5.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,500\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"navajonation\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Shaandiin Parrish, Miss Navajo Nation, greet a Many Farms family receiving food and supplies and the opportunity to be counted in the 2020 census. Photo by Daja E. Henry \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/navajonation-5.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/navajonation-5.jpg\" alt=\"navajonation\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1788\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Shaandiin Parrish, Miss Navajo Nation, greet a Many Farms family receiving food and supplies and the opportunity to be counted in the 2020 census. Photo by Daja E. Henry \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAt Many Farms, the third and final stop of the day during the combined COVID relief and census effort, at least 100 cars passed through the line. At an event the previous week in Gallup, New Mexico, Mitchell said more than 400 families responded to the census. Several more events are scheduled.<P><\/P>\r\nNez said he knows full well that the census is not the remedy to dealing with COVID-19 or to other problems facing the Navajo Nation.<P><\/P>\r\nStill, he said: \u201cYou always have to have some hope in the system. Not every system is equitable, but we&#8217;re doing our very best to work with the system that is here that is put in place.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThat is why the Navajo Nation, and I&#8217;m sure many others throughout the country, are mobilizing and getting their citizens to self-respond and to be counted. \u2026 I truly believe that with this type of outreach, we&#8217;ll get a good number of people that turn out.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/29\/navajo-covid-19-relief-drive-highlights-census-participation\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Navajo Nation is working to ensure residents of the reservation stay safe during the pandemic and to increase tribal participation in the 2020 Census.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,20,1,14],"tags":[4,447,42,74,3,5,46,448,28,175,24],"class_list":["post-1777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-4","tag-arbin-mitchell","tag-arizona","tag-cares-act","tag-census","tag-coronavirus","tag-cronkite-news","tag-jay-nez","tag-jonathan-nez","tag-languages","tag-navajo","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-sF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manyfarmschapter.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}