Fair Count Press Conference on Importance of March 12 to the 2020 Census

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Date: March 12, 2020

Contact: Lauren Zehyoue
214-356-0313
Lauren@FairCount.org

Fair Count Press Conference on Importance of March 12 to the 2020 Census

Atlanta, GA– Today is the first day people living in America will receive their invitations to participate in the 2020 Census. Fair Count CEO, Rebecca DeHart, Vice President Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean and Program Director Ed Reed of Fair Count held a phone-in press conference to stress the importance of today and the census in allocating power and resources across Georgia and the nation.

“Today, people will begin receiving invitations to participate in the census and the need for accurate information is imperative,” said Fair Count CEO Rebecca DeHart. “A lot is at stake and we only get once every ten years to get it right. Inaccurate results would be devastating for many communities.”

For every person that is not counted in the census, Georgia loses more than $3,600 per year in federal resources The 2020 Census will determine the distribution of federal resources for schools, roads, hospitals and other vital needs for communities.

Vice President Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean said, “We want to make sure that everyone living in Georgia knows that the 2020 Census will impact every part of their lives for the next ten years. Whether it’s roads without potholes, access to medical care, a new grocery store in your neighborhood, or fully-resourced schools—only a fair and accurate count will bring the resources our communities deserve.”

Fair Count has taken several steps to get a more accurate count in Georgia. In addition to founding Black Men Count, a statewide complete count committee dedicated to achieving a fair and accurate count of Black men, Fair Count is also finishing up placing 150 Internet installations in parts of the state that are at risk of being undercounted so as to help facilitate greater online census participation.

Program Director Ed Reed said, “It ends up becoming a cycle that is hard to break because access leads to resources and more resources lead to better opportunities. And right now you have pockets of Georgia without access or resources because they did not get counted. We are trying to level the playing field and break that cycle– and we believe it starts with the 2020 Census.”

###

About Fair Count
Founded by Stacey Abrams in 2019, Fair Count is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to partnering with hard-to-count communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2020 Census and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation.

The 2020 Census will allocate more than $1.5 trillion dollars every year to communities through hundreds of federal programs, direct reapportionment and redistricting, and guide economic development opportunities. If inaccurately represented, Georgia will lose roughly $3,600 for every person who goes uncounted.

Categories

Join the Fight to save the census

Sign Up for Our Newsletter