Organizations and elected officials will work together to educate the Latino community
about the importance of participating in Census 2020
Washington, D.C. – As part of the April 1st National Census Day of Action, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund today announced that it will join¡Hágase Contar! Campaign partners and elected officials for a series of events held across the country. A full list of events is available here.
The goal of this year’s day of action is to educate the Latino community about the importance of participating in Census 2020. With Latinos now the nation’s second largest population group and one out of every six Americans, full and accurate data about the Latino community are critical for our country’s economic, social and civic well-being.
“Given the importance of Census 2020 in distributing billions of dollars in federal funding and the allocation of political power to communities across the country for the next 10 years, we cannot afford to have millions of Latinos and other Americans missed in the nation’s decennial count,” stated Arturo Vargas, NALEO Educational Fund Chief Executive Officer. “A failed count of the nation’s second largest population group would mean a failed decennial count for the country. That’s why we are proud to join forces with our ¡Hágase Contar! Campaign partners to educate Latinos across the nation about the importance of making themselves count in Census 2020.”
Census data are crucial for our representative democracy – these data determine apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and how district lines are drawn at all levels of government. These data also guide the allocation of more than $800 billion in federal funding to programs that are crucial to the well-being of families, including those affecting health, transportation, education and housing.
Several challenges post a threat to a full and accurate count of Latinos in Census 2020, including the addition of the citizenship question, a climate of fear and distrust in the government, a lack of adequate funding for the Census Bureau, and a shift to the internet as the primary response option for the first time in history.
In the lead up to Census 2020, NALEO Educational Fund is calling on the Latino community to pledge to get themselves counted. Supporters can sign the online pledge to participate in Census 2020 atwww.naleo.org/censuspledge and follow the April 1st National Census Day of Action activities on social media by searching #HagaseContar.
Led by NALEO Educational Fund, the ¡Hágase Contar! Campaign is a nationwide effort to achieve a full and accurate count of Latinos in Census 2020. Additional information is available atwww.hagasecontar.org (site launches April 1, 2019).
