Census Day is April 1
This month, households across the country will receive letters inviting them to fill out their 2020 Census forms online. Are you ready to fill yours out? Are you ready for the questions you may get as a lawyer about the Census?
Everyone should be counted in the Census, regardless of language ability, immigration status, age, income or identity. Unfortunately, in some communities there is misinformation, confusion, and fear about participating. And others, like the AAPI community, are historically undercounted.
If our communities don’t fill out the Census, they lose out on electoral power and representation, funding, resources and access to services in their language. As lawyers and community leaders, we are in a position to dispel myths and help our communities get counted.
In light of concerns about the coronavirus, Census officials are encouraging individuals to fill out the form online or by mail. For more information about the Census and the Coronavirus, please visit CountUsIn2020.org.
Four Things You Can Do to Help:
Watch and share the Census Bureau’s videos, in English and over sixty other languages, on how to fill out the Census online.
Share the in-language Census resources in your community and with your clients.
Share the AAPI in-language “About the Census” videos on social media.
Learn what lawyers and bar associations can do to protect the public.
NAPABA, the South Asian Bar Association of North American and Asian Americans Advancing Justice developed resources for AAPI lawyers about the upcoming Census. Find more materials, including in-language resources and videos, at napaba.org/census and CountUsIn2020.org.
Together we can ensure our communities are counted!
Questions about the Census? You can contact NAPABA two ways:
- Call the census language hotline, for answers to questions in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali/Bangla. Call 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time at 844-2020-API or 844-202-0274.
- Go to https://www.countusin2020.org/hotline