Census Plans to Count Indigenous Farmworkers
Written by Bruce Goldstein Wednesday, 13 January 2010 18:24
The Census Bureau announced that it intends to count the many indigenous people from Latin America who are living in the United States. An AP story reports that "In the 2010 Census, the bureau will tabulate handwritten entries specifying that the respondent belongs to a Central American indigenous group such as Maya, Nahua, Mixtec, or Purepecha." The Department of Labor estimates that 17% of farmworkers are indigenous people; as many as 30% in California's fields may be indigenous. They often speak a language other than Spanish or English, and have been marginalized in their own country.
Farmworker Justice works with organizations like the Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities, based in Fresno, California, to address their needs, including by providing educational materials about occupational safety and preventive health that are socially, culturally and educationally appropriate.
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