From Latino officials are encouraging other Latinos to be counted in the 2010 Census to ensure federal funding for critical community needs.
Latino officials are encouraging other Latinos to be counted in the 2010 Census to ensure federal funding for critical community needs.
Latino officials express importance of being counted in U.S. Census
By Michael Abramowitz
The Daily Reflector
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Every 10 years, all people living in the United States are asked to stand and be counted. On Saturday, state and local officials explained the importance of Pitt County and eastern North Carolina’s Latino participation in the 2010 census, which officially occurs April 1, to several dozen people at the East Carolina Heart Institute.
The event was hosted by Juvencio Rocha Peralta and the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina and the School of Social Work at East Carolina University’s College of Human Ecology.
Guests included Axel Lluch, assistant director for Latino and Hispanic affairs for the North Carolina Governor’s Office; Taffye Benson-Clayton, associate provost for equity and diversity at East Carolina University; and Dayling Tolan, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the 2000 census, 4.8 percent of the approximately 156,000 residents of Pitt County, or 3,250 residents, were Latino — not an accurate representation of that community, Peralta said.
There are several reasons for the inaccuracy, he said.
“Latinos have been coming to eastern North Carolina in a steady flow since the early 1970s,” Peralta said. “The floods following Hurricane Floyd in 1999 widely dispersed the local population, and the 2000 census missed a great number of Latinos.”
An accurate count would probably reflect a current Latino population of 7-8 percent, he said.
Another challenge to an accurate 2010 census is language, Peralta said.
“How can that be overcome without bilingual personnel? We need to prepare for that now by reaching out to all the stakeholders,” he said.
Another problem is simply habit, Peralta said. Each county is responsible for putting together a “complete count committee,” but the committee does not have adequate Latino representation to reach that population, he said.
“History shows that people get into a comfort zone and out of habit they reach out to the same population over time,” Peralta said. “I don’t think county officials are aware that this is a priority for them.”
When all is said and done, it is in the best interests of both the county and the Latino population to have an accurate count, he said.
The census is required once every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution. Every year, the federal government can allocate more than $300 billion to states and communities, based in part on census data, according to information from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau.
Census data determines how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and guides local decision-makers on where to build hospitals, roads, schools and more, Commerce officials said. Businesses use census data to locate supermarkets, new housing and other facilities.
John Pierpont, of the ECU School of Social Work, touched on another census concern — the counting of undocumented or illegal residents.
“Census enumerators don’t ask about immigration status, so people here without documentation don’t have to be afraid to give information and be counted,” Pierpont said. “But it’s a tough sell to those who are undocumented.”
By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s census questionnaire information responses with anyone, including federal and law enforcement agencies, Commerce Department officials said.
The numbers should be counted for everyone’s sake, legal residents and illegal alike, Peralta agreed.
“Many undocumented residents have children born in the U.S., and they will benefit from accurate representation for education, medical care and government programs,” Peralta said. “A person here illegally cannot receive money or assistance, but by being counted anyway, the county will receive funds and can use them for all qualified residents.”
The conference is the first of several steps in the process to prepare for the 2010 census, and future meetings will train workers on how to locate and interview people not reached through the mail.
An individual or organization interested in information or assisting with the 2010 U.S. Census can contact AMEXCAN at 258-9967 or the U.S. Census Bureau at 2010census.gov.
Contact Michael Abramowitz at mabramowitz@coxnc.com or (252) 329-9571.
By the numbers
4.8 percent of the Pitt County population were Latino according to the 2000 census.
7.8 percent is a more accurate count in Pitt County said Juvencio Rocha Peralta.
10 years: The census is required once every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution.
$300 billion or more is allocated to states and communities, based in part by data collected in the census every decade.
Source: The Daily Reflector