Punjabis Get Counted! Census Week of Action Starts Today
The Census response rate in South Queens is concerning for sure. That is why, advocates rallied today in Smokey Park in Richmond Hill to make sure we get our communities the money they need for the resources we depend on.
Due to COVID-19, getting the word about the Census has been a struggle. But today’s gathering in Smokey Park, which is often visited by Punjabi families for recreational activities, brought the urgency of getting counted all that much more lively with community focused outreach.
Organizations that were present at this presser were New York City Census 2020, Chhaya CDC, South Queens Women’s March founder Aminta Narine-Kilawan, candidate for City Council Felicia Singh and City Councilwoman Adrienne Adams who was expressing the ‘underwhelming’ response that South Queens has been contributing to the count and how much we need to make sure that our community participated in getting counted.
According to a Queens Daily Eagle estimate in May of 2020, South Queens needs to improve it’s response rate. David Brand writes:
“Communities like Southeast Queens have the highest numbers of essential workers but traditionally have the lowest counts in the Census, meaning running the risk of being undercounted, underfunded and under-resourced,” said Melva Miller, executive vice president at the Association for a Better New York and a former official in the Queens Borough President’s Office. “Full participation in the 2020 Census will ensure resources to fight future crises and support communities for the next decade.”
Since the census began March 12, about 60 percent of U.S. households have responded, but only about half of New York City households have completed their forms.
In much of Southeast Queens, the response rate is even worse. Neighborhoods like Springfield Gardens South and Rosedale have response rates below 40 percent.
Overall, 61.9 percent of New York households self-responded to the 2010 census, compared to a nationwide average of 75.8 percent, according to federal data.
But a map of 2010 census response rates compiled by the city showed disproportionately low response rates in much of Queens. A number of census tracts in Southeast Queens specifically had response rates below 55 percent of households
St. Albans had a response rate of 54.3 percent, Rosedale had a response rate of 49.4 percent and South Ozone Park was at 48.5 percent during the last decennial census.
During a November town hall event, Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman urged her neighbors to submit their forms to ensure New York receives its fair share of federal funding and retains its seats in Congress.
“Every community member must be counted,” Hyndman said. “We need to keep our Congress members here.”
New York City Census also put out a Punjabi language Census Public Service Announcement about filling out the Census.
The 2020 Census also determines each state’s share of congressional seats — and New York stands to lose up to two congressional seats as a result of a potential undercount. The census also determines local district lines. New York City currently has no South Asian or Indo-Caribbean elected officials, despite South Asians being the fastest-growing immigrant group overall in the city, with significant populations in Queens, The Bronx, and Brooklyn. Accurate and fair districting will ensure that South Asians have representation that better reflects the needs of their community in the future.
“The Trump administration’s failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the census, which we fought off successfully, has had a chilling effect on immigrant communities’ participation in the 2020 Census,” said NYC Census Director Julie Menin and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel, NYC Law Department. “We thank Vishvajit Singh for making sure his community knows that there is no immigration or citizenship question on the census and that all responses are completely confidential and cannot be used by anyone, including law enforcement, your landlord, or ICE. We thank Vishvajit for making sure his community knows that the census is for everyone.”
“Right now, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park’s response rates to the United States census is just 42 percent — almost the lowest in all of New York City,” said Sikh community advocate Vishavjit Singh in the PSA. “If we don’t respond to the census, we will lose billions in funding for our community’s schools, hospitals, roads, and more. If we don’t show numbers, the government won’t know how many of us there are to provide money for. The census is just 10 simple questions and completely confidential. There are no questions about immigration or citizenship status. Nobody can see your answers — not police, not immigration, not even your landlord. Please, right away, go to my2020census.gov and complete the census.”
The Trump Administration has tried many times to provide a variety of hurdles to ensuring that vulnerable populations like undocumented communities can’t participate and get counted. Thankfully it was struck down and communities can come to the table and make sure that their immigration status does not come in the way of being able to ensuring that they get the same benefits that everyone else gets. Data from the Census is especially helpful for non-profits to understand what communities need and with the governor’s veto of a bill in the legislature last Decemberthat would be helpful in breaking down the data when it comes to what each individual community needs, filling out the census will help us on a more national level. The census is another avenue for us to understand the ways in which we can serve our communities better. According to United Sikhs, this year brings with it many changes, some for the good.
Why is participating in the 2020 Census now more important to Sikhs living in the United States, than ever before? Before 2020, the representation of Sikhs in America has not been correctly represented through census information gathering. Without this true record of Sikhs, the community will be underserved, underrepresented and be counted OUT of the $675 billion of annual federal funding that can be earmarked for Sikh communities. This funding could assist with including, civil infrastructure, schools, educational programs, and any other important public needs in the growing Sikh population.
2020 will be a landmark year for Sikhs and the Census. After extensive research and demand over the past decade; the Census Bureau has made considerable updates to the race and ethnicity code list. For the first time in United States history the US Census will include “Sikh” as a population group within the Asian racial category. With this opportunity to be heard, Sikhs living in the United States now have an opportunity to advocate for their own communities by simply being counted.
To fill out the census, you can visit https://2020census.gov and it takes less than 10 minutes to fill out the form for the next ten years.
Every Sikh in the United States should know that you can fill out the census by phone, online or through a physical form. This ensures that those with varying degrees of access have a chance to participate through whichever medium works for them.
Punjabi Language Public Service Announcement by Vishavjit Singh.
