Are you interested in advocating for more resources to support your family? Would you like your voice to be heard and represented in continuing to develop the future of your community?  Completing the 2020 Census is part of that journey!

You ask, “Well what is the 2020 Census?” and “Why does it matter?” For these questions, I look toward reputable resources on the U. S Census Bureau website. The Census comes into our lives every 10 years to count the population within the United States and its five territories. It gathers data that is crucial for “law makers, business owners, teachers and many others….to provide daily services, products and [to] support you and your community.”

This data then helps determine the amount of funding communities receive from the federal government to pay for our hospitals, fire departments, and agencies (like The Guidance Center!). It also helps determine seats in the U.S House of Representatives that advocate for our state and community.

There may be some of you out there with worries about what type of information the U.S Census Bureau gathers and how it could be possibly used against you. Check out National Public Radio’s (NPR) article 10 Census Fact That Bust Common Myths About the 2020 U.S Head Count by Hansi Lo Wang to see if they have the answers to your inquiries.

 

Below are the 10 facts shared: (see article for  more details)

 

  1. The 2020 census form does not include a citizen question.
    • Undocumented immigrants completing the census are not reported to the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and it does not increase risk for deportation. Confidentially Fact Sheet.
  2. The census does not start on Census Day, which was April 1st.
    • *Reminder! It is due September 30th!
  3. The census does not only count U.S citizens
    • Every person living in the country counts!
  4. The Census Bureau does not keep your individually identifiable data confidential forever.
    • “Census records identifying individuals are ultimately transferred from the Census Bureau to the National Archives and Records Administration, which releases the information to the public 72 years after it’s collected. Federal law restricts access to data identifying individuals until then. Still, the Census Bureau can release information about specific demographic groups at a level as detailed as a neighborhood.”
  5. The 2020 census is not the first online census.
    • It was the year 2000 when there first appeared an online version of the census.
    • The 2020 census continues to be collected over the phone, on paper, in person and through the internet.
  6. The census is not voluntary, but every person is not required to fill out a census form.
    • One per each household.
  7. The census does not consider “Hispanic or Latino” a race.
    • “Federal standards set by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget require the census and other federal surveys to categorize ‘Hispanic or Latino’ as an ethnicity to allow Latinx people to identify with any race…”
  8. The census does not ask about your religion, political affiliation or income.
  9. The exact number of dollars in federal funding guided by the census data is not known.
    • It estimates at more than $1.5 trillion a year.
  10. The census is not the American Community Survey.

Please do your own research to continue to see the benefits filling out the 2020 Census will bring for our communities.

 

The due date is coming soon! The census must be completed by September 30, 2020!

 

This blog was written by the External Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force of The Guidance Center. Their mission is, “to address Black inequity by influencing and collaborating with policy makers to create change while amplifying community organizations.”

Sources:

  1. 10 Census Facts That Bust Common Myths About The 2020 U.S. Head Count. Hansi Lo Wang. https://www.npr.org/2020/03/05/809217188/10-census-facts-that-bust-common-myths-about-the-2020-u-s-head-count
  2. United States Census 2020. https://2020census.gov/en.html