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Charlotte Regional Census Center Newsletter Supporting the 2010 Census in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
Including African American Males South Carolina First State to Kick Off Special Outreach In This Issue Cover
Including AfricanAmerican Males Census Road Tour Page Two
S.C. HBCUs Pledge Support Partners Count: Regional Director Update Page Three
Partner Profile: Pushing Census in Memphis
Terry Alexander, ordained minister and state legislator, didn’t need anyone to explain the importance of getting young black men to participate in the 2010 Census. Anderson, pastor of Wayside Chapel Baptist Church in Florence, S.C., served on the Florence County Council for 16 years before being elected to the S.C. General Assembly four years ago. He cut his teeth in government working for former U.S. Rep. Robin Tallon of South Carolina. The Rev. Alexander is one of 21 men serving on the steering committee for South Carolina’s 2010 Census African American Male Complete Count Committee. The committee’s focus is on strategies to gain census participation by young black males, a demographic group historically difficult to count. The steering committee was part of a recent kick off in Columbia, S.C. for a statewide initiative to count African American males. “Nobody had to tell me the
importance of the census for reapportionment or for receiving federal money,” Alexander said. “You don’t serve on county council for 16 years and not understand that.” All five states in the Charlotte Region plan special outreach to persuade African American males to participate in the 2010 Census. Initiatives will involve barber shops, fraternities, churches, public housing complexes, and such organizations as 100 Black Men, NAACP, and the Urban League. South Carolina was the first state to officially kick off its initiative. Historically, black males – especially those between ages 18 to 35 - are disproportionately missed in decennial censuses. Blacks account for about 30 percent of South Carolina’s population, including about 555,000 African American males. Continued on page 2
Virginia’s Statewide Hispanic CCC Jobs! Spread the Word! Back Page
Distinguished guests at African American Male CCC kick-off (left to right): The Rev. Marion Newton, Michael A. Hall, Mel Hart, Larry Smith, Phillip Taylor, Michael Brown, Billy Williams, Wayne Gilbert, Harold Williams, S.C. Rep. Terry Alexander, Ben Washington, John Rickenbacker, and Milton Smalls.
N.C. Education Initiative
Census Message Hits The Road In January
Kentucky Seniors Outreach Census Web site Launched
The 2010 Census message hits the highway – and the information superhighway – in January when a high-tech road tour takes off in the Charlotte Region. Plans call for a van pulling a 12-foot, detachable trailer to crisscross the region’s five states from Jan. 4 through April 13. The regional tour will run simultaneously with a national tour. “The regional and national bus tours are designed to affirm the message that census participation is easy, confidential and important,” said David C. Belton, the
Charlotte Region’s road tour producer. “Along the way, we’ll have fun.” The regional road tour is in the planning stages. The van/trailer likely will travel to such highprofile events as national basketball tournaments, youth summits, Martin Luther King parades, and large Continued on back page
Partners Count
Virginia Latino Complete C o u n t C o m m i t t e e Ta k e s O f f
The 2010 Census will provide a new portrait of America. Our many partners in the Hispanic/Latino community are working with us to include everyone in that portrait, as we are constitutionally required to do. Court decisions have upheld this requirement.
Latino leaders from government, business, community organizations, education and media have come together in Virginia to form a statewide Latino Complete Count Committee (CCC), the first statewide Latino CCC in the Charlotte Region.
Regional Director’s Update
In this region, Hispanic partners include: LaLey 96.9 FM with 1 million listeners; Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte; Catholic Charities of East Tennessee; Kentucky Migrant Education Program, Region D; and, the Hispanic William W. Hatcher Committee of Virginia in Falls Church, Va. I wish I could list them all. Our partnership staff has taken the census to “Despite the festivals and worked with barriers, our community many partners groups, take to heart the chambers of commerce importance of and local the 2010 Census governments. to Hispanics One partnership specialist even and are helping visits churches, paint a complete strumming his portrait of guitar, singing, and taking the America.” census message in Spanish to congregations. The census faces barriers in counting Hispanics. They include the immigration debate, a call for a census boycott in the Latino community itself until we have immigration reform, and linguistic isolation. In our five-state region, up to 70 percent of recent immigrants might speak only Spanish or another language spoken in their homelands. Despite the barriers, our many partners take to heart the importance of the 2010 Census to Hispanics and are helping paint a complete portrait of America. I thank you.
Headed by Michel Zajur, founder and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Co-chair Leni Gonzalez, the CCC is working to inform the Commonwealth’s HispanLeni Gonzalez, co-chair of the Virginia Latino Complete Count Comic/Latino com- mittee, welcomes the group at their first meeting in September. munity that an accurate census count only benefits and will not hurt them. A goal is to dispute information disseminated by the Rev. Miguel Rivera through his paid Spanish-language radio programs encouraging listeners not to fill out census questionnaires unless the government enacts immigration reform. “We are talking to news directors at other radio stations to counter these negative messages,” Zajur said. “Our strategy is to build trust in the 2010 Census.” Gonzalez said the committee aims to spread a message that the census counts people, not immigration status. Both Zajur and Gonzalez also serve on the Virginia Complete Count Committee, created in November by Gov. Tim Kaine. African American Male Initiative, continued.
Gaining young black males’ participation has proved difficult throughout the United States in past decennial censuses. Reasons might include high mobility, lower education and lower incomes, unemployment, child support issues and living situations. “African American males traditionally have been among the hardest population to count,” said Michael A. Hall, Assistant Regional Census Manager. “They don’t want government knowing about their business.”
Walk-in centers available to help people - especially those with little or no English-speaking ability- complete census questionnaires.
2010 CENSUS TIMELINE November
- Terry Alexander
Questionnaire Assistance Centers Open
October 15, 2009
2009
“We will need to do some plain old stomping the pavement.”
Former state Sen. Kay Patterson, a well-known civil rights leader, chairs the S.C. African American Male Initiative steering committee. Other committee members include elected officials, ministers, business
New Census Web Site Launched
October
leaders, educators, a S.C. Hall of Fame basketball coach and a football coach, and three radio personalities are: Michael Brown, Reuben Freeman, Don Frierson, Wayne Gilbert, Bobby Gist, George Glymph, Mel Hart, Willie Jeffries, the Rev. Marion Newton, the Rev. Redfern II, John Rickenbacker, Larry Smith, the Rev. B.D. Snoddy, Phillip Taylor, Ben Washington, Marion Welch, Harold White, Larry White and Billy D. Williams.
Local Census Office Open Houses 2009
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2009
Peak Recruiting Advertising Campaign Begins Census Road Tour (Jan 4 - April 13)
January
2010
Febuary
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
Partner Profile: Power Duo Pushing Census in Memphis A Memphis power duo, Roberto Reyes and wife Patricia, are making sure local Hispanics know the importance of filling out the 2010 Census form. The two control the low-power Spanish-language station W15CH Channel 15, broadcasting in the Memphis area. The station broadcasts at 150 kilowatts, but the Reyes plan soon to widen the viewing audience. They also publish a Spanish-language newspaper, “Latinos News.” Patricia and Roberto Reyes
The Reyes are running a locally recorded 30-second public service announcement in Spanish about the census questionnaire, emphasizing benefits. The couple also has featured a census partnership specialist in events and pre-recorded interviews. They’ve even put the 2010 Census logo on their station banner, used at such station-hosted events as Delta Fair, where the couple plugged the census onstage. The Reyes understand many Hispanics might not care about census if they don’t believe their information will be kept confidential. The Reyes are not deterred. “Channel 15, Memphis, has made it its mission to make sure the Hispanic community is well informed so we can have a complete count in the 2010Census,” Roberto Reyes said.
S.C. Historically Black Colleges Pledge Support in Ceremony Research papers, musical performances and independent study programs are just a few of the imaginative ways South Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have pledged to work for student and employee participation in the 2010 Census. Representatives from the state’s eight HBCUs signed partnership agreements in a recent ceremony at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. “We need to participate in this good thing,” said Dr. David H. Swinton, Benedict College president, who hosted the event. Other HCBUs represented at the signing were Allen University, Claflin University, Clinton Junior College, Denmark Technical College, Morris College, South Carolina State University and Voorhees College. There are more than 100 historically black colleges and universities in the country, 31 of them in the Charlotte Region, which supports 2010 Census operations in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. Swinton welcomed an audience of about 150, including students, to the partnership-signing ceremony. He was the first HCBU official in S.C. to join Regional Director William W. Hatcher in signing a partnership agreement.
Benedict College President Dr. David H. Swinton addresses the crowd in Columbia, S.C.
The HBCUs plan a variety of activities to encourage participation of students and their families and friends in the census. Dr. Linda Kershaw, Benedict College Concert Choir director, had singers research and write papers on the census before performing at the September ceremony in Columbia. Vorhees College plans an independent study program about the 2010 Census. Benedict student Antonio Fokes gets census message.
Representatives of colleges and universities throughout Tennessee signed 2010 Census partnership agreements in a ceremony in Nashville in late 2008.
Be Counted Program
Census questionnaire available at select public sites for individuals who did not receive one.
Peak Advertising Campaign
March
2010
Spread the Word!
“We think the census is important because it’s our duty to get counted,” said Roberto Reyes. “In Census 2000 the Hispanic community was severely undercounted due to lack of information.”
The Charlotte Regional Census Center must fill more than 76,000 jobs during peak census operations this spring. Most temporary jobs are for door-to-door census takers. Pay starts at $10.75 an hour and varies by location in the fivestate region. Job-seekers can call toll-free, 1-866861-2010, for job information and application, or go online to www.2010censusjobs. gov. Field employees will work in their communities and report to one of 52 local census offices in the region. Nationwide, the federal government will hire about 1.4 million workers during peak census operations. To publicize census jobs, go to www.2010census. gov for tools. Or call the Regional Census Center, (704) 9365330, to request a drop-in article or public service announcement script.
►April 1, 2010 - Census Day Recognized Census Takers Follow Up on Unreturned Questionnaires Census workers visit housing units that did not return a completed questionnaire by mail to conduct a personal interview.
Group Quarters Enumeration
2010 CENSUS TIMELINE
Counts people living or staying in places such as military barracks, college residence halls, skilled nursing facilities, group homes and correctional facilities.
April
2010
May
2010
June
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N.C. Education Initiative Moves to Head of Class With the goal of including all students in the 2010 Census, North Carolina is moving to the head of the class. A multi-pronged effort involves the N.C. University System and its 16 campuses, the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities and its 36 members, the N.C. Community College System and its 58 members, public schools in all 100 N.C. counties, and special support for the Census in the Schools initiative. Achievements include: • • •
A partnership agreement with Erskine Bowles, president of the UNC System. Multiple partnership agreements with individual independent colleges and universities. Initiatives include a 2010 Census presence during March madness, targeted collaboration with offices of ethnic/minority student life, be Counted sites and Questionnaire Assistance centers. The N.C. Association of Community College Presidents, under the direction of President Dr. Bob Keyes, issued a proclamation of support for the 2010 census. Sixteen presidents signed partnership agreements, bringing the total of college and university partnership agreements to 25. Initiatives include campus TV and radio promotions, Web site links to the census website, and on-campus presentations.
Outreach Educates Kentucky Senior Citizens An outreach to Kentucky’s senior citizens is gaining census participation while reassuring seniors about safety. “We find that seniors worry about whether a person knocking on their door is a Census Bureau employee,” said Kentucky Partnership Specialist Jerri Compton. “Our presentations tell them what identification to look for, what questions to ask, and who to call to verify employment. We want to allay seniors’ fears.” Compton estimates that partnership staff have visited more than 120 senior citizen centers throughout the Commonwealth. They also have focused on seniors’ concerns at health care fairs, luncheons and senior crime awareness events.
The Countdown is published by the Charlotte Regional Census Center. William W. Hatcher Regional Director Somonica L. Green Deputy Regional Director Michael A. Hall Assistant Regional Census Manager Partnership Program B.J. Welborn Editor Ryan Burkhart Graphic Designer If you would prefer to receive a PDF of The Countdown via e–mail please send your request to: ryan.m.burkhart@census.gov To submit an article to appear in The Countdown, please contact the editor:
Charlotte Regional Census Center 3701 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 250 Charlotte, NC 28273-7007 Phone: 704-936-5330
Road Tour, continued from cover
festivals. Working with partners, the van will visit neighborhoods, smaller events and specific venues with crowd-pleasing song and dance by local groups. The tour goal is to engage hard-to-count populations and persuade people to answer the census. The walk-through trailer for the national tour will feature such interactive learning devices as laptops, a GPS system, and video and Web cameras. Both tours will feature multi-language information kiosks, brochures, fact sheets and promotional givaways.
2010 Census Web Site Launched If you haven’t checked out the new 2010 Census Web site that launched in October, do so now. Go to www.2010census.gov and viola! The new Web site brings amazing bells and whistles to your compu te r scre e n . Click “Partners” and you’ll fin d qu ick lin k s to in language materials, complete count committee information an d th e late st toolk its for par tn e r s. The Quick Links take you to documents for the Census In Schools program, FAQs, and the Census Bureau’s late st n ews re le ase s an d me dia advisor ie s . Yo u’l l al so fi nd: •
Re al pe ople from commu n itie s across Ame ri ca aski ng qu e stion s abou t th e ce n su s an d ge ttin g re al answers;
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The truth behind census myths; and,
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A walk-through of the 10 questions on the census form you ’ ll re ce ive n ext s pr in g.
If you can ’ t fin d wh at you ’ re look in g for, click “Research Li nk” to fin d it. An d don ’ t forge t, you can lin k you r Web si te to o urs an d ke e p you r organ ization u pdate d.