August 7, 2020
The ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) and the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Census Bureau’s announcement that it will end its 2020 data collection process on September 30 rather than October 31:
“We urge the Census Bureau to reconsider its expedited schedule and to ensure all Indian Country, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people are accounted for in the 2020 Census.
We are alarmed to see that, during a time of extreme difficulty for Native communities across the nation, the Census Bureau has elected to expedite its 2020 data collection schedule. In Alaska, our communities already face immense challenges to meet regular Census deadlines, as more than 80 percent of our communities are only accessible by air or water. No doubt due in part to these challenges, reports indicate that Alaska is currently last among all states in census self-response rates.
Cutting the counting period short could lead to our communities losing out on critical federal support for schools, hospitals, emergency response, and more.“
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