Complete the Census Before It’s Too Late
Sisters,
In yet another bold move to undermine our democracy, the ‘administration’ is accelerating the closing date on the U.S. Census from October 31st to September 30th. We need a COMPLETE COUNT of everyone living in the United States to determine how many folks are elected to serve you in the House of Representatives and how over $650 Billion in federal funding is distributed across the country.
“This is a whole systemic attack on the census for political gain,” Julie Menin, the census director for New York City, said. “There’s an intentional attempt here to basically steal the census — to politicize this census to gain Republican seats across the country.”
Source: NY Times, By Michael Wines and Richard Fausset, August 4, 2020
I’m guessing that if you are a member of the WE CAN Network, you have likely already completed your census form. But WE CAN needs your help to get the word out to ‘erbody’ and make sure they complete their form, especially now that the ‘administration’ is trying to mess with the count!
Because of COVID-19, the Census Bureau is having difficulty going door-to-door to talk to folks that did not mail in their form; and collecting information in homeless shelters, jails/prisons, dormitories, and nursing homes. The bottom line–the census is far from complete!
Why Should You Care About the Census?
Recent reports from the U.S. Census Bureau report that only about 63 percent of households have completed the census form. WE CAN cannot stress the need to increase this number! We especially need communities composed mostly of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) to go hard and get ALL households to complete the census.
When Congress is handing out coronavirus relief in 2021, it will depend a lot on how many people live in a community, a number they will get from the 2020 census. When school administrators are budgeting—they will get the data from the 2020 census. When making decisions about where to build hospitals and fire stations and grocery stores and metro stops, city planners will use the 2020 census data. Get it? EVERYTHING hinges on our ability to get a complete count!
All you need to do for today’s Mobilize Monday is to share this email. The video below has the details about how to complete the census.
Don’t let the dark side get away with this power grab to influence how OUR tax dollars are spent for the next decade!
In solidarity,
Stephanie McGencey, WE CAN Founder