With Census looming, California Latinos organize

Organizers are using a new tool that combines demographic, employment, housing and engagement information about their communities with Latino-led nonprofit locations.

While the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to add a citizenship question to the upcoming 2020 Census, the Latino Community Foundation and Measure of America are busy deploying new tools designed to spotlight the strength and power of Latino communities across California.

Last month, the California-based organization convened a policy summit in Sacramento with elected officials, policy leaders and the director of the state’s census office to discuss ways to engage Latinos ahead of the 2020 Census. The stakes are high: As a result of the 2010 census, more than $77 billion in federal funds were directed to California’s schools, hospitals, and roads (more on what’s at stake in this report).

So, over the last year, the Latino Community Foundation has been working with Measure of America to build an interactive map. The map houses information on Latino nonprofits throughout the state, and contains a wealth of data on the diverse Latino population — including voter turnout, education status, home ownership rates, employment breakdowns and more.

The California Latino Power Map features six categories of data about California Latinos.

The tool not only enables people to conduct better outreach within and to the Latino community, but also demonstrates the power of Latinos in the state, which includes 7.7 million eligible voters (as Pew estimates).

“This is a downpayment for the future,” said Christian Arana, a policy director for the Latino Community Foundation. Arana’s group will be utilizing the map to identify Latino nonprofits to partner with in efforts to conduct outreach around the census.

Measure of America data analyst Laura Laderman joins LCF’s policy summit to lauch the California Latino Power Map.

That’s because with the Latino Power Map, users can locate and learn about Latino nonprofits in thirteen categories — from arts and culture to economic development — and view them alongside information about Latino residents in the surrounding communities.

Need some inspiration? Head over to the Ways to Use page for ideas on how to use the Map — whether you’re involved in research, advocacy, service delivery, philanthropy, local government, or simply curious about your neighborhood.

The map is the latest addition to the Data2Go family, which includes DATA2GO.NYC and DATA2GOHEALTH.NYC for New York City, and Cottage Data2Go for Santa Barbara, CA. Like other Data2Go tools, the map features data from a variety of sectors and sources that portray socioeconomic issues in the interconnected ways that people actually experience them.

The Supreme Court will decide by the end of June whether it is constitutional to include a citizenship question in the upcoming Census — but you can start exploring data, informing yourself and others, and and engaging your community today.