Florida Asians
Join
Internet March to the Mailbox
Miami, Florida – March 31,
2010
Tomorrow, April
1, is Census Day – the day in which all households in the nation are
asked to return their 2010 Census forms in the mail. This is the 23rd
time that residents of the United States, including Asians, will have
been counted as required by Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. It is
only held every 10 years,
A Census
undercount can cost billions of dollars in federal funding. In Florida,
the PriceWaterHouse Coopers Census Study reported a 200,670 estimated
undercount during the 2000 Census, with an approximate loss of $91.6
Million on federal funding of eight major programs over a ten year
period, 2002-2012. The eight programs are Medicaid, Foster Care,
Rehabilitation Services Basic Support, Child Care and Development Block
Grant, Social Services Block Grant, Substance Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Block Grant, Adoption Assistance, and Vocational Education
Basic Grants.
The Asians in
Florida, in particular, have received very little support from the
government, due to their lack of awareness on how the Census could
affect them. The 2000 Census, only 266,256 Asians were counted
throughout the State of Florida, with the highest count being recorded
in Broward (36,581), Miami (31,753) and Orange County(30,033).
“We have a much higher
number than that,” says Dr. Joy Bruce, President of the Asian American
Federation of Florida that is pushing for an accurate count of Asians in
the State. “It is important for us to get accurately counted so that the
government and mainstream media will be aware of how much we are
contributing to society, and what kind of services, resources and
programs we need to meet the needs of our community.”
The Census helps the
government identify where to build new roads, schools, hospitals and
important community initiatives and programs important to the Asian
population, such as education and English-language programs. It helps
identify areas where Asians might need services of particular importance
to certain racial or ethnic groups, such as screening for heart disease,
strokes or diabetes.
As of March 29, Florida has
recorded only 41% return rate, compared to the national Census return
rate of 46%.
With only one more day
before Census Day, the Asian American Federation of Florida is asking
all its members to join the
INTERNET MARCH TO THE
MAILBOX – by
sending this e-mail to all their constituents, families, friends and
acquaintances, and encouraging them to send back the Census forms NOW,
not later.
“It will make a tremendous
difference to the Asians for the next ten years, if we all push for an
accurate count NOW,” says Winnie Tang, US Census Partnership Specialist
for Florida. “The census is an easy, important and safe way to make a
difference in your community.”
-
The census is easy.
One of the shortest census forms in history, the 2010 Census form asks
10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete.
-
The census is safe.
Participation in the census is required for all citizens and
noncitizens, and confidentiality is protected. By law, the Census Bureau
cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal
agencies and law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take
an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the
confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a
fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
What we do now will affect
our community for the next ten years.
PLEASE SEND BACK YOUR
CENSUS FORM NOW – not
later.
