Make Black Count
A National Urban League Census Initiative
2020 Census Black Roundtable
The 2020 Census Black Roundtable is co-convened by National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation President and CEO and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Intergenerational Public Policy Network Melanie L Campbell. The 2020 Census Black Roundtable provides space and resources for leaders to get ahead of the many obstacles that threaten an accurate count of Black people. Watch the roundtable discussion below.
Looking Ahead to 2030
Lessons from the 2020 Census
Historically, Black people have been undercounted in the census. Over the past 60 years, census accuracy has steadily improved, but some groups still experience higher undercounts and omissions from the census than others. These include racial and ethnic minority groups, immigrants, single-parent households, renters, mobile young adults, people displaced by natural disasters, and the formerly incarcerated.
Find out more in: Looking Ahead to 2030: Lessons from the 2020 Census.
Over the past three months of 2020 Census operations, the National Urban League has observed low response rates across heavily populated Black localities – both urban and rural. We recognize that COVID-19 has disrupted Census operations off and on, for the entire nation, but a full, fair 2020 Census count is imperative as we rebuild our communities after the pandemic.
The State of the 2020 Census report is to “sound the alarm” about the current status of the Black census count.
Presidential Action
On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order overturning the Trump Administration’s efforts to politicize the 2020 Census, including directing the Bureau to discontinue work on the citizen voting age population file to collect and provide citizenship data on undocumented populations.
New Protections
The Census Bureau is a steward of the data it collects: the agency is tasked with deciding how to best produce meaningful statistics while ensuring that the statistics do not disclose, or allow others to discover, confidential information about individual respondents. Learn more about the Bureau’s new confidentiality protections.
Getting to a complete count this Census is critical for the Black community. For far too long our communities have been undercounted and left out of the allocation of federal dollars for roads, schools, and hospitals. The COVID-19 coronavirus has placed a strain on our families, but we are committed to ensuring that every person of color is counted this year. So join us, and Make Black Count today by filling out the census, and checking “black,” on www.2020census.gov.
You can self-respond to the census online at https://my2020census.gov/ or over the phone in English by dialing 844-330-2020 or in Spanish at 844-468-2020. Individuals will begin to receive paper forms in the mail on April 8, 2020.
Fill Out the Census Here Sample Questionnaire Key Dates Combating Disinformation Important Resources
DON’T FORGET TO COUNT THE KIDS!
A complete count isn’t complete if you forget to count someone in your home. Believe it or not, children have been undercounted in every Census for over a century – 7 out of 10 Black and Brown children between the ages of 0-4 years old, were left out of the 2010 Census.
When you fill out your Census, make sure to include:
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Every child in your home
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Any friend or family member who will be living with you for the foreseeable future
College Students
Last, but not least COLLEGE STUDENTS! You all play a role in getting to a complete count in the 2020 Census. Here is what you can do:
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Campus college students who live in university-provided dormitories or housing: The census will contact your college or university's Resident Life administrators to obtain a roster of all students who reside on campus or in university-provided housing. You do not need to fill out a Census form as the University will provide this information to Census. If students learn that their university has not submitted information to the Census, they should visit www.2020census.gov to respond to the census.
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Off-campus college students who reside in private, nonuniversity-provided apartments or houses: The census has suspended face-to-face enumeration of areas in close proximity to colleges and universities due to the Coronavirus. If students reside in off-campus, nonuniversity-provided housing, they should self respond online at www.2020census.gov, or by phone. Individuals (and/or students), do not need a Census-ID to participate online or by phone.
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Off-campus college students who have temporarily returned home to live with parents: Students who are home because their colleges/universities have closed due to the Coronavirus should complete the Census online at www.2020census.gov or by phone. These Off-campus college students who have returned home to live with parents, should use their off-campus address, and not their parent's address when responding to the Census.
Please fill out your Census online and use the address of your college or university if you do not live at home with your parents.
The 2020 Census is Here, Get Counted Today
The 2020 Census began for most of the country on March 12, 2020 when the U.S. Census Bureau began mailing letters inviting the public to participate in the 2020 census to every household in America. The bureau also launched an online form for the first time in history. As of April 7th, the response rate was 45.7% – but far too many of us have yet to fill out the Census.
Don’t let the place you call home miss out on billions of dollars and risk losing voting power over the next 10 years by not responding. You have the power to make a difference and it only takes 5 minutes. You can respond:
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In the mail
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Or by phone at 1-844-330-2020 (though due to the coronavirus wait time may be longer than usual)
Ways You Can Help
The Census works best when we all get counted together. Remind your friends and family that the Census is here and ready for a response, online or by mail.
And in these difficult times, check in on the people you know who are particularly hit hard by this crisis. Our first responders, essential employees, medical staff. Even our elderly and those living alone. Check in to see how they’re doing, share some good news or laugh, and encourage them to fill out their Census as well. There’s nothing wrong with offering to help if you can.
Let’s work together to get to a complete count today!
