SAN Launches 2020 Census Efforts in LA County
Starting in January, our community and country will participate in the 2020 Census, a once-a-decade operation in which every household in the United States will be asked to answer a short series of questions.
According to a SAN announcement, the US Constitution mandates that a census be taken every 10 years to count all people—both citizens and non-citizens—living in the United States. A complete and accurate count of the population is critically important because it plays a vital role in many areas of public life. Among other things, it affects:
• who represents us in government;
• how much money and resources our neighborhoods receive; and
• whether our community's needs are reflected in policy-making.
The South Asian Network (SAN) is excited to announce that it has launched Census 2020 efforts in Los Angeles County, to ensure that every single person in the South Asian community participates in the Census and is counted. However, this will be a massive effort, so we will need your help in making sure everyone is counted.
Here is how you can get involved:
• Donate: Our current funding only allows us to do outreach in LA County. We will need additional dollars to reach other areas in Southern California, such as Orange County.
Volunteer: If you are interested in joining our Census Outreach Team, contact Zainab Syeda at zainab@sansocal.org. We will need assistance in many areas, including: language translation, marketing and design, neighborhood outreach, phone-banking, social media outreach, and volunteer recruitment.
Join the SAN Team: Are you passionate about serving the South Asian community? Are you a people-person? Do you enjoy taking on new challenges? If yes, then apply for our Civic Engagement Coordinator position, a full-time role that will focus on executing our Census 2020 outreach efforts, voter engagement campaign, and Citizenship program.
Partner with us: We know that the South Asian community in LA County is very diverse. That is why the SAN team is reaching out to leaders of different ethnic communities, faith groups, and others to build partnership and receive important feedback. If you are a representative of a South Asian community organization or group, and would like to be involved in our Census efforts, please contact me to set up a meeting. Your insight and support is crucial; we will not be able to do this work without you.
The Census is one of the most important activities that our country partakes in. An under-count could mean the loss of important resources that our communities and families need. Let's work together and make sure we're counted.
- Shikha Bhatnagar
Executive Director
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