NYBG opens
outdoor site
Visitors are welcome starting July 28
Making Sense of the Census
By Jennifer Jones Austin, Chief Executive
Officer and Executive Director of
FPWA and Julie Menin, Director of NYC
Census 2020
As the first Black woman elected
to Congress in 1968, Shirley Chisholm
has been an icon for those in the
struggle for civil rights and equality
for more than a generation. Throughout
her career, her advocacy for her
community and her historic run for
the presidency has rendered her as
an inspiration for countless activists,
politicians, and community leaders
ever since.
Congresswoman Chisholm blazed
another civil rights trail, too.
Two years after she was elected to
Congress, she chose to become a census
taker (or “enumerator”) in New
York City. It was not common then for
one of the nation’s most prominent
and powerful legislators to be pounding
the pavement across the streets
of Brooklyn to take stock of her community,
and it certainly isn’t common
Shirley
Chisholm
Knew the
Importance of
the Census.
Now We Must
Continue Her
Work.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR JULY 24-30, 2020 3
now.
So why did she do it? Because Congresswoman
Chisholm knew that the
census is about money, power, and respect
for all of our communities — especially
those that have been historically
undercounted.
Despite the fact that the census was
(and remains) the very foundation of
how the federal government allocated
many millions of dollars ($1.5 trillion
today) for education, healthcare, housing,
jobs, infrastructure, and transportation
across the country— and the
very basis on which seats in Congress
were (and still are) allocated state by
state — Black communities across the
country had either been long undercounted
by or chose not to participate
in the census — and many thought for
good reason, given the nation’s ignoble
history with race.
As a result of the many challenges
associated with conducting a complete
count in 1970, many enumerators actually
quit their jobs, but for Chisholm,
the daughter of immigrants from
Barbados, the census held the key
to the very empowerment, freedom,
and equality that Black communities
across the nation and in New York
City had been fighting and indeed dying
for, especially during the preceding
two decades.
Today, the need for a complete
count is just as, if not more, important,
to ensure an equitable recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic. The layered
health, political, and economic
crises that New York City is currently
experiencing have further exposed
severe racial and ethnic disparities
both in terms of health outcomes and
economic need. The census will determine
how many millions we will get
from the federal government for housing,
healthcare and access, education,
and local job growth in communities
of color over the next 10 years. Without
a complete and accurate count, we will
be forgoing the money and political
representation that is rightfully ours,
and at a time when such a loss cannot
be afforded. For many Black and
Brown New Yorkers, these resources
will be critical for their well-being.
In 2010, many majority-Black
neighborhoods in New York City, from
The Bronx to Queens to Brooklyn, had
census self-response rates that were 10
or more percentage points behind the
citywide average, meaning that these
communities have been missing out
on millions of dollars for critical services
and the full political representation
they are entitled to, from City
Council to the U.S. Congress.
Though the census self-response
rate gap has noticeably narrowed
for many of the same neighborhoods
this year, and certain Black-majority
neighborhoods, such as Co-op City in
The Bronx (69%) and Starrett City in
Brooklyn (64%), far outpace the citywide
average of approximately 53%
(as of June 29), much more work needs
to be done to ensure New York City receives
its fair share of $1.5 trillion in
federal funds every year and does not
lose what could be up to two congressional
seats.
“The institutions of this country
belong to all of the people who inhabit
it,” Congresswoman Chisholm
reminded us. “Those of you who have
been neglected, left out, ignored, forgotten,
or shunned aside for whatever
reason.” And the census is one of the
most important ways we can reclaim
that power.
This year, let’s honor Congresswoman
Chisholm’s incredible legacy
and continue her fight for Black communities
in New York by filling out
the 2020 Census at my2020census.gov
and doing our part to help make sure
our communities are fully counted.
“Making Sense of the Census” is a
weekly column from Julie Menin, Director
of NYC Census 2020.
NYBG opens on July 28 Photo courtesy of NYBG
BY JENNA BAGCAL
After months of being shut down
due to COVID-19, the New York Botanical
Garden (NYBG) announced that it
will reopen to the general public starting
next week.
While the full reopening process
will happen gradually, the Bronx’s top
destination for plants, fl owers and everything
nature is offi cially opening
its 250-acre site on Tuesday, July 28.
Beginning on July 21, NYBG
opened its grounds to members, Bronx
health care workers and Bronx neighbors
with free access and free admission
during Appreciation Week, which
ends on July 26.
The onset of COVID-19 forced Garden
leadership to enact a temporary
closure on March 15. But since then,
NYBG has developed and implemented
new safety protocols that align with
State and New York Forward requirements,
CDC guidelines and OSHA
standards.
In a continuing effort to encourage
safety and social distancing, NYBG
leadership has introduced new measures
for staff and guests to follow.
Measures include requiring all staff
and visitors older than 2 to wear face
coverings, increasing sanitation of
public and staff areas, daily health
screenings for on-site staff, social distancing
practices, timed-entry tickets
purchased in advances and operating
the grounds at a reduced capacity.
Those who wish to come to NYBG
must purchase their timed tickets in
advanced, and those who do not will
not be guaranteed admission.
Other measures to facilitate social
distancing include new way-fi nding
signs and pavement markings and certain
pathways designated for one-way
foot traffi c. The Garden will also have
new hand sanitizer stations and touchless
restroom appliances.
According to NYBG, the following
features and attractions will be open
to the public starting next Tuesday:
• the Native Plant Garden, with
its meadow, woodland, promenade
and centerpiece water
feature
• Bronx River, with its waterfall,
which runs through the
50-acre Thain Family Forest
• layered and colorful patterns
and plant groupings of the perennial
and herb gardens
• lushly shaded Chilton Azalea
Garden
• award-winning Rockefeller
Rose Garden
• tropical and aquatic plantfi
lled conservatory courtyards
and pools
• inviting paths through the
Ross Conifer Arboretum
• Benenson Ornamental Conifers
• Burn Family Lilac Collection
The Tram Tours, public programs
and group tours remain suspended
as a safety precaution. Additionally,
the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Lu-
Esther T. Mertz Library, Edible Academy,
Everett Children’s Adventure
Garden and Hudson Garden Grill remain
closed.
Other amenities include:
• Pine Tree Café (10 a.m. to 6
p.m., limited menu and outdoor
seating)
• Hudson Garden Grill Terrace
(12 to 5 p.m..; snacks and refreshments,
including water,
beer, and wine)
• Pine Tree Café Pop-up at the
Rose Garden (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.;
snacks and refreshments,
including water, beer, and
wine)
• Clay Family Picnic Pavilions
• “My Day at the Garden” kids
and family activity guide
• Self-guided audio tours, which
are available by cell phone
• NYBG Shop (per social distancing
protocols)
To learn more, visit nybg.org.
/my2020census.gov
/nybg.org