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Leticia Gonzales and
Kaytlynn Johnson
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California Native American youth are stepping
up to lead during the 2020 Census to help educate and empower their
peers, families, and communities
Native People Count California
The Native People Count California campaign has worked with Native
Youth since January to provide our youngest voices with the tools
and guidance to participating in the 2020 Census.
The campaign is a collaboration between the California Governor's
Office of the Tribal Advisor, the California Complete Count Census
2020 office, California Indian Manpower Consortium, and the California
Native Vote Project.
Kaytlynn Johnston, 15, of the Bishop Paiute Tribe, recently expressed
to her peers, elders, and community members through public service
announcements that they have a chance for their voices to be heard
by participating in the 2020 Census.
Ms. Johnston is Miss Pabanamanina Powwow Princess and president
of the Bishop Paiute Tribal Youth Council. She is also a member
of the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY).
"Being counted in the 2020 Census means Native people will have
a chance to be heard in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.," Johnston
said.
Many Native youth feel that they're invisible within their towns
and cities and voice frustration that even though they are Indigenous
to California lands, they are left out of the political process.
California Native American youth today are savvier, both politically
and technologically. They recognize their voice needs to be heard
and counted at every level of government and they are taking steps
to make sure that happens.
Cities and towns in California have been built on traditional Native
American lands. While many youth and community leaders accept this,
they do not accept being invisible within their ancestral lands.
In her community, Ms. Johnston sees the impact of a Native Complete
Count as a positive step forward to help her community and tribe
with much-needed funding for tribal programs and services. "We need
additional funding for the community, especially in healthcare,
public safety, housing, and education and cultural preservation,"
said Ms. Johnston.
The Bishop Paiute Tribe is located in Inyo County in the upper
Owens Valley in the eastern Sierra region in central California.
To the west are the spectacular eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
To the east is the state of Nevada. Bishop Paiute Tribe is one of
109 federally recognized tribes in California, with over 2,000 tribal
citizens out of a total population of 10,000 people within the City
of Bishop, California.
"I strive to be a positive role model to the youth and help elders
in my community and the valley to show them we all can be a force
of change in our community. This valley and our cultural landscapes
are beautiful and sacred. But we Paiutes have been largely forgotten
and invisible as first Americans within our communities. I am participating
to make us visible and heard to our representatives in California
and the federal government," Johnston said.
For people who don't want to be counted or who don't understand
what it means to be counted in her community, Kaytlynn said she
hopes she can change their mind. She is encouraging Native Youth
in her community to bridge the generational and technology divide
by volunteering time to assist parents and grandparents to fill
out the Census online.
"We can talk to our families about it. It is a huge opportunity.
And yes, you can help the elders and your parents fill out the Census
online because some elders and parents aren't tech-savvy."
Kaytlynn explains that the Census is a duty and a human right as
a citizen. She notes that the Census equates to 'we see you, we
hear you' by lawmakers.
She describes her work with public service announcements as central
to her role as a leader among her peers and in her rural tribe.
"There is a big difference to be counted in rural communities than
in urban areas. When I participated in the Census public service
announcements, we found people from rural areas are historically
underrepresented in the Census. Filling out the Census is very powerful,
and it makes a huge difference in the whole community."
Leticia Gonzales, sister of Katlynn, is a youth prevention employee
at the Toiyabe Indian Health Project in the Behavioral Health Department
of Family Services in Bishop, California.
Like her younger sister, Gonzales is involved with UNITY and serves
as a peer guide for the Healing Indigenous Life Initiative, a partnership
with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Leticia said the overall goal for rural communities like Bishop
with the Census is to be counted so that the state and federal governments
can step up funding for needed services for rural communities to
increase economic development, education, public safety, and healthcare.
"Everybody must be counted. The Census is a central tool for the
government in making their formula funding decisions for the next
ten years for our Native communities. We need to be active now,"
Gonzales said. Her sister, Ms. Johnston agrees. She added, "We know
where we come from, we know who we are. We are here to protect these
lands for generations to come."
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Census tribal impact.
Courtesy NPCCA
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These interviews and articles are written on behalf of the Native
People Count California campaign.
About
NPCCA
Native People Count California
is the official California complete count census 2020 tribal
media outreach campaign. Launched in January 2020 the Native
People Count CA campaign is a collaboration between Governor's Office
of the Tribal Advisor, the California Complete Count Census
2020 office, and Tribal Media Outreach Partners NUNA Consulting
Group, LLC, California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC),
and the California Native Vote Project (CANVP). Native People Count
CA was created with the belief that the 2020 Census is an integral
piece to upholding the fiduciary responsibility by the United States
federal government to Tribes and its delegated authority to state
and local governments
https://nativepeoplecountca.org
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