Editor's Note: As an official partner, PhxSoul.com is committed to promoting increased African American participation in the 2010 Census. Starting in January, PhxSoul.com will launch our "Be Counted Because You Matter" campaign to heighten the importance of the 2010 Census among blacks in Arizona. We will be distributing T-shirts, mousepads, magnetic calendars, bookmarks and other marketing materials to local residents in the hopes that we will keep the 2010 Census in the forefront of our minds.
Written by DaVaun Sanders
The US Census Bureau showed a strong commitment to Arizona’s minority population on November 19 through a roundtable discussion with statewide ethnic media in downtown Phoenix to discuss the upcoming 2010 Census.
The discussion was the ninth of 12 such U.S. Census roundtables, hosted across the country by New America Media, a nationwide association of over 2,000 ethnic media associations. The Phoenix roundtable boasted attendees from nearly 30 Arizona minority media outlets. Many participants voiced various community concerns, such as undocumented workers’ fears of exposure, people of mixed heritage being forced to check one box for their identity, and how language barriers may impact the census process.
Census Bureau representatives from the state, regional, and national level readily fielded questions about the implications of the 2010 Census on the minority community, both nationally and in Arizona.
“We wish to capture people who’ve never been in a census before,” said Arnold Jackson, Associate Director for Decennial Census at the Bureau.
The panel of speakers conveyed several key points about the 2010 Census to address local concerns and encourage higher minority participation:
- The 2010 Census questionnaire is reduced to 10 questions, and takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
- It is a requirement by Constitution that all U.S. residents be counted—regardless of incarceration, employment, or citizenship status.
- For the origin and race questions, the Census Bureau provides a write-in section for backgrounds not listed, and respondents can make multiple selections that best fit their heritage.
- Census data is not shared with outside law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security.
Mixed feelings prevail among Valley African Americans about the pending Census, but the theme of change in U.S. politics appears to be leading the community towards a guarded optimism.
“I think my 20- to 30-year-old [friends] will participate,” says Tynesha White, an African American Psychology major at Arizona State University. “I’m not too sure about the rest — they don’t see the relevancy in it. On one hand, I don’t feel we are informed about things like this — so we miss out on the positive side. But because we are not informed, instead of finding out, we opt out.”
The Census Bureau’s initiative at the roundtable offered compelling information designed to combat minority indifference and lack of awareness throughout Arizona. Bureau representatives further emphasized the positive ramifications of a high minority response for next March, when 2010 Census questionnaires will be mailed out. More than $300 billion in federal aid is based on census data, and a low response could potentially translate into reduced funding allocation for schools, roads, community centers, and hospitals in corresponding minority neighborhoods. Political representation is also at stake, as US House seats are determined by census data.
The Census Bureau’s goal for next year is to provide the most accurate “Portrait of America” possible for the census, and offers more information at www.census.gov. Do you plan to stand up and be counted in the 2010 Census? Let us know why in the Comments section below!
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