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The Need To Be Counted: Major Campaign Launched in New York City

A P Kamath

Drumming the theme that an undercount means loss of millions from the federal government, community leaders in New York launched on May 27 a campaign to ensure minorities in particular are included in next year’s census.

The Daily News, with more than 1.5 million readers, joined the campaign which includes newspaper, radio and television advertisements, announcements at churches, mosques and temples, and grass root efforts.

Some city councilmen and legislators have planned census information meeting in their election districts. They want to hold meetings in major houses of worship including the Hindu temple in Flushing to educate the congregations about the importance of being counted.

"People in New York cannot afford not to be counted," Les Goldstein, the associate publisher of the News said at a press conference in Manhattan.

Echoing Goldstein's thoughts, many community leaders warned that unless the census counting was improved and perfected, the poor in New York will face more difficulties.

"This is the most important issue facing us we enter the new century," said New York Councilman Adolfo Carrion, Jr.

Similar campaigns are expected to be launched in other American cities with large number of migrant, African American and Hispanic population. Critics of the census operation in 1990 say New York lost $ 500 million in federal funding because of improper counting. Many minorities, particularly those whose legal status are in trouble, refuse to tell census volunteers exactly how many people are living in a house, especially in the basements.

The campaign will also impress on New Yorkers that the Census Bureau by law cannot share its information with the immigration and police agencies.

"Many people do not realize that even if they are illegal here, they are still entitled for some medical assistance, at least in emergencies," says Hardayal Singh, a community activist. "But often they are afraid to approach hospitals. The hospitals cannot inform on them. Similarly, they are also afraid of being counted."

"They should know that Census Bureau officials are not police or immigration agents."

Census figures are used as a basis to determine at the national and state level to allocate funds for social welfare programs.

New immigrants and the poor are among those most likely to be missed by the census volunteers, critics of the census operation say. The older immigrants have a duty to inform the new immigrants the importance of being counted, said Carrion.

"Every individual, every family, every block and every neighborhood in our city needs to make itself count," said councilman Guillermo Linares.

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