FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2019
Contact:
leyen trang
Communications & Social Media Coordinator
Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP)
Minneapolis — On Saturday, July 20th, the City of Minneapolis along with community organizations Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP), FIlipinx for Immigrant rights and Racial justice – MN (FIRM), Church of St. Columba (COSC), and Voices for Racial Justice (VRJ) gathered in North Minneapolis to reach out to community members on the upcoming 2020 Census.
Saturday’s doorknock aimed to show our community the importance of the Census and that local community organizations, people, and the city will support our community to ensure a fair and accurate count.
“The decennial census is used to determine the allocation of resources and political representation. Unfortunately, communities who would benefit from appropriate federal funding and those who are sorely underrepresented politically are the exact individuals who tend to be undercounted. We are working to ensure we have a complete, fair and accurate count in 2020. We must all be counted,” City of Minneapolis 2020 Census Project Manager Alberder Gillespie says.
Despite the stormy weather, dedicated volunteers and staff reached out to over 1000 community members, holding nearly 200 conversations about the Census at the doors.
“While the Census aims for an accurate count each time, that’s not always the case. In the past, communities of color, those with kids under age 5, non-citizens, people without homes, and many other communities who live on the margins are undercounted. That undercount is detrimental to our communities, so we need to make sure everyone is counted,” AAOP Community Organizer Isabela Alesna says.
“Our communities are under attack, and we have the opportunity to use the Census to continue restoring our power and fighting together for our liberation,” says Voices for Racial Justice Racial Justice and Health Equity Organizer Mónica María Hurtado.
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