Four in 10 Miami-Dade households have not filled out the census. That’s going to hurt us | Opinion
The 2020 U.S. Census could fall short of its intended constitutional purpose: counting all the people living within our borders. We may currently have more uncounted households at this stage than in any previous census. These circumstances are made even more critical by the accelerated deadline, which gives experts less time than ever before to check the data.
A census is a constitutionally mandated event that occurs every 10 years. It is the tool through which government decides how to disburse more than $1.5 trillion in federal funds and determines congressional representation. These decisions, which create ripple effects felt throughout public life, all stem from census data. Inaccurate data in a census will lead to a decade of imbalance.
Every census arrives amid distinct circumstances, as populations and environments change over time. But this year’s national crisis is unprecedented. COVID-19 has presented a challenge to reach such hard-to-count groups as immigrants and minorities. In Miami-Dade County, where four in 10 of the county’s households have not filled out census forms and the weekly rate of virus cases of 281 per 100,000 residents exceeds the national average of 13.5, early door-knocking efforts have been riddled with setbacks. Fortunately, responding to the census by phone or via the internet has never been easier.
Historically underrepresented residents need us now, more than ever. This moment is our last chance to assert our presence and claim our space by ensuring that we are all counted. In 2019, the Miami-Dade School Board voted to support the U.S. Census Bureau Outreach campaign to promote community-wide participation in the 2020 Census and to request that the district’s superintendent partner with local government entities to assist in these efforts. Our mission is to uplift communities to ensure that no one is excluded, and everyone is counted, from the youngest children to the elderly.
The school district created a work group to employ a variety of outreach efforts. Currently, the district has partnered with the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau to have census workers deployed at school sites in hard-to-count Zip codes during meal distributions to assist families in responding to the 2020 Census.
While we look for how we can create a more equitable future for residents, we cannot forget that a failed census could thwart many of the actionable changes we would seek to make on this front. The foundational beginnings of any conversations around our democracy, funding and civil rights are directly tied to the accuracy of the census. To combat injustices in America with data-driven conversations around the allocation of resources and local budgets, we must have a full and accurate census.
The future of our communities is in our hands, and we must act now to be counted. Our responsibility is urgent not just for the sake of fulfilling a civic duty, for it is also the cornerstone of the change we want to see throughout all our communities.
Residents can respond to the census online by visiting www.my2020census.gov or over the phone in English by dialing 844-330-2020; for Spanish, dial 844-468-2020.
It’s in our hands to have our community counted.
Lubby Navarro represents District 7 on the Miami-Dade County School Board.
