Why 2010?

Census only happens once every ten years – the United States Constitution requires a headcount of every person residing in the US every 10 years, regardless of citizenship status.  The census, unlike census initiatives in some other countries, is completely confidential and not shared with other governmental agencies.  The information is only used in a general / statistical way for three major purposes:

• To determine how the more than $400 billion in federal funds are awarded to states and communities every year.  That’s more than $4 trillion dollars distributed over a 10-year period.
• To guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts.  Census counts are directly tied to the federal dollars communities receive for important services such as education funding, affordable housing support, job training, social services, roads, bridges, and other community development opportunities.
• To determine how many seats Georgia will have in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the redistricting of state legislatures, county and city councils, and voting districts based on the new census information.

Getting an accurate count of our Asian community in Georgia is a must.  Asians have historically been undercounted for the Census, and we as a community suffer because of it.   Our community must come together, regardless of ethnic identity, to ensure that we are all counted, and all benefit.

To provide a concrete example, think about health, which is something we all have in common.  Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death for Asian women and that many in our community are Limited English Proficient?¹ Without an accurate census count, appropriate federal funds will not be allocated to fund cancer-related research that targets the Asian community, interpreters will not be provided at public hospitals that are located in majority Asian neighborhoods, and local ethnic health clinics will not receive valuable federal funding that can ensure our community receives appropriate health services.

1) Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training; “A Community of Contrasts,” Asian American Justice Center Report.

During the 2000 Census, Asians accounted for less than 2% of our Georgia population based on the Census, and only 1% of Gwinnett County’s population.  Based on the latest numbers, the Asian community in Georgia has doubled to 4% of our population and 10% of the Gwinnett County population.  Let’s be sure our Asian community is counted.