Let’s Make Sure Everyone – and Every Girl – Counts
Building a more equitable society means expanding civic participation. Girls Inc. Week 2020 celebrates the theme “She Leads: Inspired and Engaged Civic Life.”
The U.S. Constitution calls for a count of the population every 10 years. The 2020 Census is underway and it matters. By now, you should have received a letter with instructions to complete the census online, by mail, or by phone. It only takes about 10 minutes to complete the 10 question form. While the current conditions around COVID-19 have impacted Census operations (Congress has given the Census Bureau a three month extension), the impact of the Census remains the same. Data collected from the U.S. Census influences the political representation for hundreds of millions of people across the U.S. and determines the distribution of more than 900 billion dollars in federal funding for the next 10 years.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores just how important the Census is. The continued strains on and disparities in social institutions like our hospitals show us how federal funding, or lack thereof, can literally mean life or death. In order to prepare for the next crisis we might face in the future, we need to examine the quality and strength of our entire infrastructure — from schools to housing to the internet. This means we need an accurate count to know how best to support our communities. From support for school lunch programs and children’s health insurance to the apportionment of congressional representation, census data determines thousands of crucial policy decisions.
Projections by the Urban Institute report some 4 million people are at risk of not being counted. Unfortunately, the numbers stand to be higher due to the current crisis. Many of these groups are populations we work with, and groups that already face unequal political representation and access to resources, including racial and ethnic minorities, people experiencing economic hardship, immigrants and non-english speakers, LGBTQ persons, and of course children. Helping to get an accurate census count is one of the most important things we can do to serve the communities who need us most.
That’s why Girls Inc. organizations across the U.S. will be supporting and encouraging our communities to complete the census. We are providing education to families so they understand filling out the census is easy and safe. For example, many people don’t know that it is a federal crime to use any information from a census form for anything other than an accurate count. Additionally, and importantly, we will be (virtually) engaging girls around the census, believing it’s never too early to equip girls to be civically informed and active.
Ensuring an accurate count will take all of us. While we wrestle with the challenges of being physically distant, that doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference. On your next video call, ask your friends, family or colleagues if they’ve been counted. If you’re social media savvy, consider spreading the word with tools and resources provided at census.gov. Building a more equitable society means expanding civic participation. Let’s start the decade off right doing everything we can to positively shape the future of our country and communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores just how important the Census is. The continued strains on and disparities in social institutions like our hospitals show us how federal funding, or lack thereof, can literally mean life or death…we need to examine the quality and strength of our entire infrastructure — from schools to housing to the internet…From support for school lunch programs and children’s health insurance to the apportionment of congressional representation, census data determines thousands of crucial policy decisions.