Caribbean Life, August 21-27, 2020 17
Making Sense of the Census
By Julie Menin, Director of
NYC Census 2020
It will shape the next 10
years, and we have less than 45
days to get it right.
The 2020 Census has faced an
onslaught of challenges, from
the attempted addition citizenship
question to the COVID-19
pandemic, and now the latest
move to steal what is rightfully
ours by shortening the census
count by a month. Right now,
just about 56% of New Yorkers
have been counted. But we
need a complete count to get
our fair share of the hundreds
of billions of dollars in federal
funding our communities rely
on, and the representation we
deserve in government.
To help get New York counted,
we need to mobilize every New
Yorker to take action. So we’re
tapping into one of NYC’s inexhaustible
resources: neighborhood
pride. Because the census
is a competition, it’s also our
chance to prove once and for all
what NYC neighborhood reigns
supreme.
Our new “Census Subway
Series” contest will pit borough
against borough, neighborhood
against neighborhood, to see
who will raise their response
rate the highest and emerge as
the census champion. And to
kick it off, we’ll see a showdown
between Jamaica, Queens (current
self-response rate: 49.4%)
and Canarsie, Brooklyn (current
self-response rate: 47.9%).
You might think you know
which borough has the best
pizza, best bagels, best rappers,
or even the best people — but
now, we’ll settle the score once
and for all and see who has the
best census response rate (and
it’s all good — no matter what
borough you’re from — you’re
a New Yorker, which, c’mon,
fuhgeddabout being from anywhere
else).
It’s not just for bragging
rights, either; if New Yorkers
fill out the census to help their
neighborhood, they can sign up
to win some exciting prizes. All
New Yorkers who fill out the
census starting today who submit
proof of completing the census
are eligible to enter to win:
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Seamless
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vouchers and a free annual
Citi Bike membership
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ships to both MoMA and
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To enter the contest, all you
need is a screenshot or photo of
the confirmation page showing
you completed the census. The
“NYC Counts” contest ends on
September 21.
These are great prizes for
the whole family and a great
incentive for us to each do our
part to support our city and our
communities for years to come.
Remember, the 2020 Census
will be a critical component of
New York City’s recovery after
COVID-19. That means we must
do everything we can to achieve
a complete and accurate count,
and fight Donald Trump’s attempts
to steal the census.
Ready to get started? Do not
wait. Fill out the census online
or by phone today at my2020census.
gov or calling 844-330-2020,
urge your families and neighbors
to be counted, and enter to
win at nyc.gov/censuscontest.
“Making Sense of the Census”
is a weekly column from Julie
Menin, Director of NYC Census
2020. Every week we will be
publishing pieces from Julie and
guest authors laying out the facts
and answering tough questions
about this year’s census. Fill out
the census now at my2020census.
gov or by calling 844-330-2020.
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Bringing
healthy
competition
to the
census
/censuscontest
