Black Americans are typically undercounted during the U.S. Census, resulting in a loss of resources and political power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add a deadly pandemic to the mix \u2013 a pandemic that is showing a propensity to disproportionately kill Black Americans \u2013 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause of COVID-19, many people have not filled out the census,\u201d said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), chair of the CBC Census Taskforce. \u201cOnly 48 percent (of households) have responded so far, so we have a lot of work to do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Horsford is encouraging people to respond now to the census \u2013 either online, by mail or by phone \u2013 to avoid putting door-to-door census workers and the general public in harm\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Providing a tangible result to getting as many people as possible counted, Horsford used himself as an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe district I serve \u2013 the 4th<\/sup> District of Nevada \u2013 was created as a result of the 2010 Census,\u201d said Horsford. \u201cAnd I\u2019m the first African-American to serve in the House from the state of Nevada, so representation does matter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Color of Change, 3.7 million Blacks in America were undercounted in the 2010 Census. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s a loss of billions of dollars in federal funding for our community,\u201d said Horsford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n