Black Americans are typically undercounted during the U.S. Census, resulting in a loss of resources and political power.
Add a deadly pandemic to the mix – a pandemic that is showing a propensity to disproportionately kill Black Americans – and fears are the 2020 Census undercount could be the worst ever. That is why members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are sounding the alarm and employing all available resources to get every person living in America counted despite the insidious COVID-19 virus wreaking havoc upon the nation.
“Because of COVID-19, many people have not filled out the census,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), chair of the CBC Census Taskforce. “Only 48 percent (of households) have responded so far, so we have a lot of work to do.”
Horsford is encouraging people to respond now to the census – either online, by mail or by phone – to avoid putting door-to-door census workers and the general public in harm’s way due to the deadly strain of coronavirus that has already claimed nearly 40,000 lives in the U.S. The deadline to self-respond has been extended to Oct. 31.
Providing a tangible result to getting as many people as possible counted, Horsford used himself as an example.
“The district I serve – the 4th District of Nevada – was created as a result of the 2010 Census,” said Horsford. “And I’m the first African-American to serve in the House from the state of Nevada, so representation does matter.”
According to Color of Change, 3.7 million Blacks in America were undercounted in the 2010 Census.
“That’s a loss of billions of dollars in federal funding for our community,” said Horsford.
Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, vice president of Fair Count, said that number is actually much higher.
“We stand to lose $1.5 trillion due to undercounting,” said Abrams McLean. “And that doesn’t mean the money disappears. It just gets shifted to other communities.”
Last March, Stacey Abrams, former Georgia House Minority Leader and Georgia gubernatorial candidate, launched Fair Count, a non-profit organization committed to ensuring a fair count in the state’s population. The organization partners with organizations in Hard to Count (HTC) communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2020 Census, and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation.
A targeted effort is underway to reach and count Blacks living in America. According to Albert Fontenot, Jr., associate director of Decennial Census Programs, $46 million has been allocated to marketing and other efforts to attract Black respondents. That number is up from the original $37.9 million previously allocated. Fontenot is responsible for providing executive leadership and direction for the 2020 Census, the American Community Survey, and the Census Bureau’s geographic programs.
For those who have not yet responded to the 2020 Cencus they can do so online at www.my2020census.gov. They can also contact the Census Bureau at (800) 923-8282.
