There is power in numbers, and the U.S. Census is one way Latinos can show our government who we are and what we need.
Every 10 years, each person living in the U.S. has a chance to fill out the Census form. The responses generate updated statistics of where we live, guides how billions of dollars of funding is distributed, and determines new urban planning projects.
Based on the results, the government decides where new hospitals are built, which schools get funding and how many representatives we have in Congress, among other issues. If people don’t fill it out, the communities lose out on these services.
Many people feel uneasy about disclosing their information. It doesn’t help that Trump tried to push for a question to identify whether the person is a citizen or not, but luckily this won’t be asked. Still, some undocumented families are afraid to fill out the questionnaire.
Latinos are growing in numbers, and this year’s Census will be an important one. Filling it out is one way we can help organizers, activists and politicians who fight for our rights point to solid statistics about our lives and needs.
