FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2019
GREATER WASHINGTON URBAN LEAGUE LAUNCHES D.C. CENSUS CENTER
Organization Rolls Out Major Effort to Count “Hard-to-Reach” District of Columbia Residents in 2020
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Today, the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) — a leading nonprofit civil rights and community service organization guiding Washington, D.C. metropolitan area residents into self-sufficiency for more than 80 years — announced the launch of its ambitious Census Center. The effort was created as a result of a partnership with the District of Columbia Mayor’s Complete Count Committee and as part of an urgent bid by community leaders to ensure every resident is counted in the District for the upcoming 2020 Census, particularly the city’s most disenfranchised and underserved residents. With District leaders and community advocates wary of systemic U.S. Census Bureau undercounts of so-called “hard-to-reach” neighborhoods and residents, the League is on a mission to mobilize 50 partner organizations to become “2020 Census Ambassadors” encouraging full participation in the Census. Emphasis will be placed on Wards 1, 5, 7 and 8 — all of which had to endure ten years of the effects of an economically detrimental undercount of Black and Brown District residents in 2010.
The GWUL Census Center will also push messaging, essential information and public conversation through #MakeBlackCount on social media, joining the National Urban League’s nationwide efforts to combat the weaponization of the most impactful and constitutionally mandated civic engagement action there is.
Recently, D.C.-based research center, The Urban Institute (UI) projected that the overall population in the District of Columbia will be undercounted by 2.68 percentage points. For Black and Latino residents, the largest non-White populations in the District, undercount projections are nearly 4 percentage points. As a result, the estimated $6.3 billion in federal resources to be allocated on the basis of the 2020 Census to the District of Columbia will not be fairly and equitably distributed. That’s despite the fact the District has the highest rate of inequality compared to all 50 states. An undercounting will have the largest impact on the Wards that need the most and making way for yet more displacement of long-term residents.
“There is much at stake and we can’t stress how important answering the 2020 Census is. Residents of color can no longer afford to give away their power and continue to lose representation — and simply because many of us didn’t fill out a ten-question survey. The Census data is protected by law and cannot be used to endanger people or alter their living situations but can be the catalyst for a rebuilt school, a new hospital, better public transportation, more grocery stores, greater affordable housing and increased business start-ups. Being invisible makes you vulnerable,” said Greater Washington Urban League Chief Administrative & Financial Officer Kimberly Corbin.
To fight that, the GWUL Census Center will step in with a “Census Ambassador” program to lead grassroots mobilization for a complete and accurate Census count, including a strategy to count all Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander and African populations in those “hard-to-reach” places. The Census Center will include:
- The Training of leaders from 50 community-based organizations on Census mechanics and history, community engagement and District-wide canvassing;
- The recruitment of 120 volunteers or designated “Ambassadors” delivering information to drive awareness in neighborhoods, at major events, and at community institutions and other local venues;
- The planning of a major community rally and mass mobilization efforts that encourages all-in participation from all residents
For 2020, the GWUL goal is to directly engage over 100,000 people throughout the District of Columbia using grassroots mobilization, grasstops pressure, media campaigns, and whole lot of sweat.
“We are letting people know that the 2020 Census Count will determine how over $6 billion in federal resources will be distributed and how neighborhood boundaries will be redrawn in the District. We must claim and remain the benefactor of our presence and power.” said Greater Washington Urban League President and CEO George H. Lambert, Jr.
The Census Center which is a part of GWUL’s recently formed Advocacy & Research Institute will be an ongoing exercise beyond this 2020 Census. “The decennial Census is something we should be leveraging and always be prepared for,” said Lambert. Instructing entrepreneurs on how to leverage the data, informing policy for the protection of civil rights and ensuring equal representation for the next 10 years are actions that can be fueled post the 2020 Census.
More information on the GWUL Census Center can be found at gwul.org/Census-2020
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About the Greater Washington Urban League
The Greater Washington Urban League removes barriers and provides opportunity to historically disenfranchised and diverse populations in Washington, DC, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County Maryland. For over 80 years, the League has empowered communities and changed lives through, securing & protecting home ownership, emergency assistance, youth scholarships, financial empowerment, small business advisement & creation, and employment & training. Visit http://GWUL.org for more information or @GWUL365 on social media.
