{"id":54668,"date":"2018-07-21T03:21:24","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T10:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=54668"},"modified":"2018-07-21T03:21:30","modified_gmt":"2018-07-21T10:21:30","slug":"withdraw-citizenship-question-from-2020-census-say-ethnic-media-leaders-to-secretary-of-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/withdraw-citizenship-question-from-2020-census-say-ethnic-media-leaders-to-secretary-of-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Withdraw Citizenship Question from 2020 Census Say Ethnic Media Leaders to Secretary of Commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"

Signs sit behind the podium before the start of a press conference with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to announce a multi-state lawsuit to block the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census form, at the headquarters of District Council 37, New York City’s largest public employee union, April 3, in New York City. Critics of President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to reinstate the citizenship question contend that that it will frighten people in immigrant communities from responding to the census. The Trump administration has stated a citizenship question on the census will help enforce voting rights. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n

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The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comments on its 2020 Census plan, which includes a citizenship question on the census form all households must answer.\u00a0 Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross directed the bureau to add the untested question in March, after misleading stakeholders and Congress about the Justice Department\u2019s need for citizenship data from every person.<\/p>\n

In our view, collecting citizenship status data from every resident for the first time in 70 years will jeopardize any serious effort to achieve a complete count. \u00a0We join dozens of ethnic media outlets across the country in demanding that the Department of Commerce withdraw the question.\u00a0 We will also urge our audiences to use the public comments period to explain why the decision to add the question is so misguided.<\/p>\n

Ethnic news media are acutely aware of the high stakes our audiences have in a successful census. The 2020 Census ranks as one of the top civil rights issues of our time, underpinning how federal dollars are allocated to our communities and who represents us at almost every level of government. It tells us who we are and who we are becoming as a society.\u00a0 The 2020 Census is the one and only act of civic engagement in which literally every person counts \u2013 equally.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman speaks at a press conference to announce a multi-state lawsuit to block the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census form, April 3, in New York City. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But all that hinges on people\u2019s willingness to trust the government to rigorously adhere to the strict legal protections for census confidentiality and to ensure an equitable distribution of benefits to historically underserved communities of color. As media leaders serving many of the hardest to reach populations in the U.S., we know\u00a0 that public trust in government has eroded sharply, replaced by pervasive fear in the face of\u00a0 anti-immigrant policies and racist rhetoric.<\/p>\n

We have a long history of informing, engaging and advocating on behalf of our communities. But when people are paralyzed by fear or alienated by anger and distrust, not even trusted intermediaries will be able to convince them to participate in the 2020 Census. In this climate, adding the citizenship question sends exactly the wrong message and puts the 2020 Census at risk of an historic undercount.<\/p>\n

Here is a sampling of comments from ethnic media leaders:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cynical ploy to diminish the influence of people of color.\u201d \u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Yawu Miller, Editor, South Bay Banner<\/em>(African American)<\/p>\n

\u201cRecent immigration policies have created a climate where immigrants, both legal as well as those who are undocumented, live in fear. Self-identifying as non-citizens in today\u2019s times is a risky proposition and those who are not citizens will not participate. It\u2019s as simple as that.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u2013 Darek Barcikowski, White Eagle News<\/em>(Polish American)<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely adding the citizenship question will hurt participation. Even legal immigrants now have fear.\u00a0 Those who are not citizens will evade the questionnaire.\u201d \u2013\u00a0 Myong Sool Chang, Editor, Korean Boston<\/em>(Korean American)<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in the Turkish community don\u2019t want to share their status with anyone outside their own relatives. The question feels threatening to all immigrants, regardless of their status.\u201d \u2013 Orhan Akkurt, Publisher, Zamen Anerika<\/em>(Turkish American)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe citizenship question will suppress the count which will defeat the very purpose of the Census.\u201d \u2013 Vandana Kumar, India Currents <\/em>(Indian American)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest undercount will be of 0 to 5-year-olds, which means we won\u2019t be able to distinguish the identities of the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government should reconsider adding the question on citizenship which is rather personal and does nothing in terms of generating the head count except create fear in the minds of an already scared immigrant community.\u201d \u2013 Amar D. Gupta, Siliconeer<\/strong>(South Asian).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Signs sit behind the podium before the start of a press conference with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to announce a multi-state lawsuit to block the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census form, at the headquarters of District Council 37, New York City’s largest public employee union, April…<\/p>\n

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