Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s February 28,
2020 edition
The 2020 Census is
scheduled to arrive in the middle of March following Purim. It is very
important people for residents to be aware that the Census form is arriving so
as not to inadvertently discard it. Residents should respond to the Census as
early as possible. Williamsburg’s previous response to the 2010 Census count
was very low, and this caused financial harm when it came to important services
for the community. Low response rates also weaken the political representation
of the Williamsburg neighborhood.
UJO, the mayor’s office,
New York City Council, New York City Census 2020, and New York City Complete
Count Fund, CUNY are all working to ensure the maximum participation from the
community in Census 2020.
Brooklyn, NY –Together
with NYC Complete Count Fund, the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn has
launched a campaign to create awareness in the Williamsburg community. The goal
of the initiative is to create awareness and to let residents know to expect
the Census forms, which will arrive in two weeks throughout the country.
Additionally, community members are urged to respond as early as possible.
The UJO was selected to
join the NYC Complete Count Fund, a partnership between CUNY, Mayor Bill de
Blasio and the New York City Council. The NYC Complete Count Fund is a
first-of-its-kind Census-related community organizing program that is a
resource to community-based organizations working to help NYC reach a full and
accurate count in the 2020 Census. These funds will support the UJO’s
Williamsburg Community Census, focused on achieving a complete count from the
hard to reach Yiddish speaking community in Williamsburg and its surrounding
areas and to explain the importance of the Census to the community.
The Complete Count
Fund was built with the understanding that local community-based organizations
— which serve New Yorkers in the communities where they live and in the
languages that they speak — are the most trusted messengers of important and
sensitive information.
As a culturally and
linguistically unique community in New York City, a hyper-local focused
approach is needed to connect with the Williamsburg community. As a trusted
local voice and social service agency for over half a century the UJO of
Williamsburg has the tools and deep roots in the community to educate and
encourage a robust community census response.
“Unfortunately,”
says said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg, “during
the 2010 Census South Williamsburg was among the many poor communities in NYC that
were undercounted. The undercount cost the community valuable resources needed
for the betterment of the community that would have been available if it was
fully counted. We are grateful that for the 2020 census around Mayor Bill de
Blasio and his Census team led by Julie Menin, are prepared with a citywide
plan that will make sure there is no New Yorker left behind.”
A complete and accurate
count is critical to the future of New York City. The Census will determine how
more than $650 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing,
roads and bridges, affordable medical care and equipment at local medical
facilities, and more, gets distributed annually throughout the country. It will
also determine the number of seats each state is allocated in the House of
Representatives (and thus, the Electoral College). Based on current estimates,
an undercount could cost the State of New York up to two congressional seats,
which would limit NY’s voice in Congress and limit bringing home necessary funds
to NYC.
In such a complex
city, enriched by such linguistic and cultural diversity, New York City’s full
participation in the first online Census faces a unique set of challenges. As
New Yorkers, we have embraced these challenges as an opportunity. Together,
these citywide efforts will lay the groundwork for a civic engagement apparatus
that will continue well beyond the 2020 census.
For more
information or to request assistance in completing the Census, email
Census@unitedJewish.org or call the UJO – (718) 643-9700 extension 236.
