The Trump administration’s proposal to remove questions about a person’s race for the U.S. Census is sparking alarm among tribal leaders, voting rights advocates, and social service providers. They say it will significantly impede tribes’ political representation at the state and federal levels and reduce access to federal resources, adding up to a serious erosion of tribal sovereignty. Counting the racial makeup of the country has been a function of the constitutionally mandated decennial census since it started in 1790. The Census Bureau proposes changing it to help improve response rates. We’ll hear what changes are potentially in store from the U.S. Census and what the implications are for Native residents.

GUESTS

Gwynne Evans-Lomayesva (Hopi), Ph.D candidate in sociology and demography at the University of Pennsylvania

C. Matthew Snipp (Cherokee), professor of sociology at Stanford University and the director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity

Larry Wright Jr. (Ponca), executive director for the National Congress of American Indians

Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman, former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and a member of the executive board for the National Congress of American Indians

Break 1 Music: Hopi Basket Dance (song) David Taliewiftema, Hopi Singers from Second Mesa (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

Break 2 Music: War Dance Song (song) Sander Heath, Ed Spino, Byton Patt, Nathan Jim, Duane Miller, and Rudy Clements (artist) 16 Songs by Warm Springs Confederated Tribes (album)