Historians agree that every census count has its challenges. This one has been rife with them, including a global pandemic, a historic recession and interference from President Donald Trump.
. These include a failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the census, a memorandum calling to exclude unauthorized immigrants from the count and aActivists see these measures against people of color
The statement says the bureau has a “robust field data collection operation,” adding that it plans to add additional training sessions and provide rewards to enumerators — those in the field trying to reach Hard to Count households — “who maximize hours worked.” “Historically, we are a people that has been left out,” says Thomas. “Being counted affects everything, the quality and size of our hospitals, schools, community centers. We need to be included.”highlights areas of concern, including the many neighborhoodsTexas stands out, with a majority of its counties showing fewer than 50% of residents self-reporting their census information. Edwards County, hard by the Rio Grande River, is at just 14.8%.
“To the outside world, cutting the census short by four weeks might seem like no big deal, but it’s of huge consequence,” says Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a Washington, D.C.-based group that has been serving as a clearinghouse for census count activism.
"Just as we do not give political power to people who are here temporarily, we should not give political power to people who should not be here at all,” Trump said in a July statement explaining his desire to not count undocumentedA range of Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Chip Roy in Texas and Brian Mast in Florida, have applauded the president's efforts.
“There’s a lot of concern and it goes beyond party lines,” says Thompson. “Myself and other colleagues worry this census will not be suitable for apportionment." One positive sign, some advocates say, is a recent spike in census response rates in places that also have had social justice activities, including protests and rallies in New York and Los Angeles.
"For the government to suddenly say we are going to stop short on collection, that just puts a huge burden on non-profit groups to get the word out especially under COVID-19 restrictions," he says."But we will do everything we can."
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