There\u2019s something important on the horizon and no, I\u2019m not talking about the 2020 Presidential Election; I\u2019m talking about the 2020 Census. But what exactly is the census and why is everyone talking about this one specifically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well first off, the census is a survey that takes place every ten years and counts \u201call of the people living in the United States and [records] basic information such as age, sex, and race.\u201d Professor and senior scientist at Penn State\u2019s Population Research Institute Gordon De Jong states that \u201cthe census ensures that each community gets the right number of representatives in government\u201d and makes sure that there is an equal distribution of funding. So why is the 2020 census under fire? Because this will be the first census that will ask people their citizenship status since 1950. This question may seem harmless, but critics fear that this question will discourage certain communities from taking the census and create a disproportionate representation for them in government as well as decrease the amount of funding and resources they recieve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This would have a huge impact on the Latino community. It could potentially hurt the places they live by under representing them in government. NALEO Educational Fund Director of National Census Program Lizette Escobedo explains that the census is important in \u201cdistributing billions of dollars in federal funding\u201d and that \u201cwe cannot afford to have millions of Latinos and other Americans missed in the nation\u2019s decennial count.\u201d Escobedo also explains that there are many challenges that would threaten the count of Latinos if the citizenship question was asked, especially since there is increased tension, fear and mistrust in the government right now. This not only affects immigrants, but also the children of immigrants. Those who were born in the U.S. or are DACA recipients but have parents who are undocumented may be scared of taking the census because they fear that the information could be used against them or make their home\/neighborhood a target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question everyone wants to know is why add that specific question in the first place? What is its true purpose? The administration and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross have justified their reasoning for the question by saying that the answers from the question can \u201cbetter enforce Voting Rights Act protections against discrimination of racial and language minorities.\u201d However, federal judges in New York, California and Maryland rejected the explanation; one even called the justification for the question as a \u201csham.\u201d Back in January, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman declared the question unconstitutional and found that Ross \u201cviolated federal law by misleading the public.\u201d There is evidence that contradicts the administration\u2019s reasoning behind the purpose of the question and now, the question of whether the citizenship question should be allowed on the census or not is headed to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, is the administration adding the question to help enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act or is it adding it to make sure immigrant communities aren\u2019t being properly represented? The Supreme Court will have its decision in early or mid June. For now, all we can do is keep latinos updated on the status of the citizenship question as well as inform them about what exactly the census does and how important it is that we all participate!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resources<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/m.phys.org\/news\/2009-08-probing-census-important.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2019\/3\/30\/18288463\/house-oversight-committee-subpoena-census-question<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n