Counting On It
The census is one of the more important events in our democracy. Every 10 years each person is counted so that resources can be allocated, programs created, and a general understanding of the population is had. It should be a clean process. Should be. The 2020 census has proven to be anything but clean. Mud has been thrown on the process, as people and institutions attempt to manipulate the numbers, subsequently stripping power from some and giving it to others. Peppered throughout this episode is an editorial from NoMoNo about why the census matters: The state is counting on us to be counted. If you haven’t completed the census form yet, do it now. It only takes a few minutes. Click here to get started.
A recent anti-racism protest in Rio Rancho by the Black New Mexico Movement drew a lot of pushback. The tensions took over the news stories recounting that night. But before everything really erupted, Nichole Rogers, founder of the Welstand Foundation, gave a brief speech about the Census. Thanks to KUNM News Director Hannah Colton for that tape.
On our sibling show Let’s Talk New Mexico, host Ty Bannerman spoke with:
- Ahtza Dawn Chavez, executive director of the NAVA Education Project
- Jaime Gloshay of the New Mexico Native Census Coalition
- Cathy Lacy, director of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Denver regional office
- Pamelya Herndon, KWH Law Center for Social Justice
- Carolina Romero, community outreach liaison for Catholic Charities
- Mohammad Ismail, Albuquerque Public Schools Refugee and Newcomer Supports Program
We also hear from KUNM’s Kaveh Mowahed, who interviews journalist Shaun Griswold of New Mexico In Depth about how the Census is going in New Mexico. Read Griswold’s latest for NMID: Tribes in N.M. under intense pressure to complete census count by new deadline.
Next week: We are taking a break next Sunday as we gear up for a month’s worth of election coverage. It’s going to be an election marathon. If you want to hear any of the past episodes of NoMoNo, find the show here on KUNM’s site, look us op on Spotify, Apple Podcasts … everywhere that podcasts are. Search: No More Normal.
Special thanks to:
- LTNM, Hannah Colton, Ty Bannerman, Kaveh Mowahed, Shaun Griswold
- Cheo Melendez and Jazztone the Producer for sharing their music with the show. Khaki, Pope Yes Yes Y’all, and Bigawatt composed the show’s themes.
Hear the show on KUNM’s airwaves Sundays at 11 a.m., or find it wherever you get your podcasts.
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This segment is part of the “Your New Mexico Government” Project (#YourNMgov), a collaboration between New Mexico PBS, KUNM Radio, and the Santa Fe Reporter. This endeavor is funded by the New Mexico Local Journalism Fund with public media support provided by the Thornburg Foundation.