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September 5, 2020

We Are Mitu: Time Is Running Out To Complete The Census, Here’s Why It’s So Important To Make Sure You’re Counted

BY JUSTIN LESSNER | SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 AT 12:38 PM

 

The drama over the 2020 Census continues.

 

First was a Supreme Court decision that found the Trump administration wasn’t being totally honest about it’s reasoning for including the citizenship question on the 2020 Census – so the court effectively removed the question from the census.

 

Then, Trump tried to delay the constitutionally mandated census to give his administration more time to come up with a better reason to tell the courts.

 

None of that worked as planned by the administration, and the Census has continued as normal. However, so many in minority communities – particularly migrant communities – have been fearful of completing this year’s census. Well, new evidence shows just how important it is to make sure we’re all counted.

 

As the 2020 census winds down, here’s a reminder of why it’s so important to make sure we all complete our census.

 

Now, more than ever, it is the responsibility of Latinos to fill out the census, or else miss-out on integral funding and representation.

 

The 2020 Census is ending early, thanks to a decision by the Trump administration to end data collection and outreach sooner than initially planned, which could lead to massive undercounts within BIPOC communities.

 

The Latinx population is already at a higher risk of being undercounted because of language barriers, fears over immigrant status, and for living in hard-to-reach areas. Latinx leaders are continuously pushing for increased visibility and accessibility to fill-out the census, especially now, as many issues have been overshadowed by a global pandemic.

 

But at some point, it is not the responsibility of our leaders, but for citizens to take initiative.

 

Latinos are not filling-out the 2020 Census at the levels they should, and in areas with large Latinx populations, the self-response rate is alarmingly low.

 

Take for instance, Rep. Nanette Barragán’s district in Los Angeles. In 2010, her district had a self-response rate of 68.6%. Now with the one-month cut-off and the ending of household outreach nearly two weeks early in some areas, her district is now just at 60.1%.

 

“We cannot let them erase us,” Barragán wrote.

 

But it wasn’t long ago that Trump tried to completely derail this year’s census.

 

The Trump administration has decided to print the 2020 census forms without a citizenship question, and the printer has been told to start the printing process, Justice Department spokesperson Kelly Laco confirms to NPR.

 

Read the full article here.