After a decade of planning and a head count that took place against the backdrop of an unprecedented pandemic, natural disasters and partisan legal battles, the U.S. Census Bureau is releasing the first numbers from the 2020 census before the end of the month.
According to the Census Bureau post-enumeration survey, 800,000 African Americans went uncounted. What does this mean? It means once again, the voice of African Americans was denied. Many programs that impact African Americans are based in whole or part on data derived from the Census. History proves the disenfranchisement of Black people socially, politically and financially. Another ten years cannot pass before we realize how vital the United States Census is to the United States democracy.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. Responding to the 2020 Census is easy, safe and important, and is key to shaping the future of communities. Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs legislative district boundaries. They also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds are allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers to communities for public services and infrastructure like hospitals, emergency services, schools and bridges each year over the next 10 years.
On Thursday, the bureau began sending out the first of several invitations to participate in the 2020 Census. Those invitations will continue to be delivered until March 20 and the Census Bureau is encouraging everyone to respond online upon receipt. Instructions are included, and provide the web address for the online questionnaire in English, as well as 12 additional languages, ensuring that more than 99% of U.S. households can respond in their preferred language.
As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, a census is conducted every 10 years to count the number of people living in the nation and its five territories. Census Day kicks-off on April 1, 2020, and every home will receive an invitation to participate in a short questionnaire by phone, mail and for the first time, online.
The South Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a national leader in civil and political rights, held a convention in Atlanta from July 18 to July 20 to scrutinize a topic many Americans are rather uncomfortable discussing — poverty.
“he census must be conducted in a way that will not thwart the goal of equal representation,” wrote U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm, in an opinion granting in part and denying a motion to dismiss brought by the Census Bureau. The ruling allows the case to proceed to discovery and potentially to trial.
Alex Padilla took the oath of office for his second term as California Secretary of State at the Secretary of State Office in Sacramento. Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court Tani Cantil-Sakauye administered the oath.
A decade has passed since the housing collapse. In that time, bank profits are back and continue to rise. Despite occasional trading fluctuations, the stock market remains profitable for most investors. Then there’s the low rate of unemployment that is often cited as if economic strides have included nearly everyone.
Recently, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin accused the Trump administration of attempting to sabotage the 2020 Census, and from all indications, we have reason to be concerned.
Los Angeles remains the nation’s most populous county, with 10.17 million residents as of July 1, 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau recently reported.