Largest Census outreach training in NYC Asian-American communities

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The Asian Pacific American Complete Count Committee held a press conference Jan. 18, 2020, to announce plans for training volunteers from minority communities including Indian-Americans, in a bid to get a more complete Census count.

The APA CCC, a non-partisan coalition of 16 community-based organizations, will train close to 200 community leaders, organizers, and volunteers from New York City’s Asian American communities on how to mobilize for the 2020 Census, a press release from the organization, said.

At the press conference, the APA CCC also released in-language posters and fact sheets in Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Nepali, and Urdu.

Jose Miranda, the director of economic justice at Chhaya Community Development Corporation, told Desi Talk an estimated 200 people came either in their individual capacity or as leaders of a community group. Chhaya is a member of the steering committee of APA-CCC.

The meeting was held at the office of United Federation of Teachers, 52 Broadway, in Lower Manhattan and was presided over by City Council Member Carlos Menchaca, who represents District 38, and is on the Census Task Force.

“It was great that so many people came despite the weather. Everyone left super-excited. There were youngsters and seniors, from the age of 13 to the 70s and 80s. Very inter-generational,” Miranda said. “We distributed some 400 posters in different languages,” he added.

Volunteers from Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx are welcome to sign up as volunteers. They should represent Bangladeshi, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Pakistani, Punjabi, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese communities, the press release indicated.

They could represent social service, business, religious, health, civic, educational, cultural, workers, and sports groups.

Indian-Americans have numerous such groups, including Chhaya Community Development Corporation, South Asian Youth Association, organizations representing seniors, etc.

Among the other Asian-American organizations which are part of the APA-CCC Steering Committee are Chhaya CDC, MinKwon Center, and Asian American Federation.

Members of the APA-CCC include the Adhikaar, SACSS (South Asian Council for Social Services), Women for Afghan Women. Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Service, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Advancing Our Unity, Chinese Progressive Association, Japanese American Citizens League, and the YMCA of Greater New York.

The subjects discussed at the 5-hour long meetings covered subjects like – Why Census 2020 Matters; How to Complete the Census, which included a walk-through of online and paper forms; Understanding the Census; Communicating About the Census; and Planning Outreach for the Census.

According to the government website 2020census.gov, “Census partners are vital to ensuring a complete and accurate count. As trusted voices in your communities, you play a key role in raising awareness that the 2020 Census is easy, safe, and important.”

This January, the U.S. Census Bureau ramped up its national recruiting efforts to hire up to 500,000 temporary, part-time census takers for the 2020 Census to reach its goal of more than 2 million applicants, the agency said in a press release. The positions offer competitive pay, flexible hours, paid training, and weekly paychecks. To apply, visit 2020census.gov/jobs.