Census Justice is a Racial Justice Issue
The Impact of the Census on Communities of African Descent:
Each year, the federal government uses census count data to determine how to spend nearly $800 billion dollars for services that communities rely on.
Your community’s census count data determines how much you will receive for services like SNAP/WIC, healthy food programs, nurses, doctors, health benefits, affordable and emergency housing, teachers, bus and train lines, transportation infrastructure, senior services, infants and youth services, climate, emergency care, and more. It also determines how many elected officials will be assigned to your district.
Communities that are under counted do not get their fair share of these resources. Historically, communities of African descent are under counted. This has a devastating impact on our community’s ability to meet its needs. Increasing the 2020 Census response rate in New York City’s “Hard to Count” communities of African descent will play a significant role in securing the proper level of services and political representation for the next ten years.
The CLSJ Census Justice Project works to ensure a full count of NYC communities of African descent.
Census Under-Counts Leave Black Communities Under-Resourced & Under-Represented
New York City, which has the highest population of people of Pan African descent in the US, had one of the lowest response rates during the 2010 Census.
Central Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and parts of Manhattan and Staten Island are home to large percentages of “Hard-to-Count” populations such as African Americans, Caribbean American and Caribbean immigrants, African immigrants and low income residents.
Increasing the 2020 Census response rate in New York City’s “Hard to Count” communities of African descent will play a significant role in securing the proper level of services and political representation for the next ten years.