The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. The 2010 Census is probably one of the most important census of all time. At a time of economic turmoil & limited resources, we can not afford to not be counted, particularly in Black & Brown communities where we have been taught not to have the government in our business because of past historical experiences that have been handed down from generation to generation. This has been highly detrimental to the lack of services in these communities, where little funding is given because of lack of  ”official” numbers showing demand. We should be pushing the people in our communities to sign & send in their Census form just as hard, if not harder than we did to get the first Black president elected because while the President is there to serve the interests of the entire nation, the census is there to serve the specific needs of each individual community. I am happy to see BET & some artists & leaders in the Black community step up to bring more awareness to the importance of the Census. I wish all the entertainers who were ubiquitously endorsing Barack Obama for president would also come out & endorse the Census because we can no longer live in a society where ignorance is bliss, where we are constantly looking from the outside in, as other communities flourish in this nation while Black & Brown communities stay stagnant or take a turn for the worse. We are in crisis mode with the lack of services in health & education leading to high numbers in the drop out rate , obesity, AIDS & environmentally based diseases & viruses.

The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like:

• Hospitals
• Job training centers
• Schools
• Senior centers
• Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
• Emergency services

The data collected by the census also help determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day saying how do we not see the idiocy in the lack of funding in Black & Brown communities due to so called lack of numbers in demand  for services, when we are stereotyped as having too many babies in comparison to our White counterparts. If that is a stereotype based on facts then how do we still remain the consumate limited minority if the power is in the numbers? We need to change the mindsets of our communities in how to attain social services & resources for our communities. We must forgo the idea that we don’t want the government “all up in our business”, therefore we will not sign the census & understand that whether you like it or not the government is already “all up in your business”.  If they want access to you they can easily get to you from your social security number, to your computer, to your cell phone to your cable box -everything is being tracked , so forego any idea of secrecy & do something that is personally & socially beneficial to you & your community. Sign the census & be counted if you want more funding for schools, community arts programs, neighborhood health centers, transportation and basic services needed to make any & every community thrive. Instead of spending our energy in debating over the use of the word “Negro” on the census let’s look at it as the first time having multiple labels can be to our social benefit. Check every single box that applies to you whether it’s by your definition or someone else’s definition.

There should be no reason why the upper east side or upper west side has cleaner streets, better schools, HIV/AIDS services & more arts programs than Harlem or Washington Heights, if it’s based on numbers & demand. For those who say it is not based on numbers, but rather the hue of a community -you still need to sign the census so you can atleast have a case if your numbers are high & you still do not get the same services -help your community have a fighting chance by attaining the evidence to fight against dicrimantion if the cenus does not follow thru on what it is mandated to do.

As the state lottery says “you have to be in it to win it” -so let’s give our children & communities a chance to win. Sign your census, mail it in & make yourself count! IT’S IN YOUR HANDS