The 2020 Census is key to helping Idaho Latinos recover from coronavirus. Here’s why
Convincing all Latinos in Idaho to respond to the 2020 Census was already going to be a difficult task. While a question about citizenship was kept off the census questionnaire this year, the coronavirus has upended community leaders’ plans to reach traditionally undercounted Latinos in rural Idaho.
“The census counts determine our future,” said Antonio Hernandez, voting rights associate at Conservation Voters for Idaho and one of the organizers of Contamos Idaho Census. “Everything from school lunches so children can concentrate on their schoolwork, access to more affordable health care options, the parks and recreation we are enjoying in the summer … resources that we all depend on, especially in a crisis.”
The 2020 Census hopes to count every person living in the United States and is the basis for Idaho’s allocation of federal funding, congressional representation, state legislative boundaries and Voting Rights Act enforcement. An accurate 2020 Census count is especially important for Idaho — one of the fastest-growing states in the country — and its rising Latino population.
But as many Idaho families — including Latinos — are relying on school lunches and other community programs, funded by federal dollars to get through the pandemic, an accurate count could determine how Idaho communities recover after the pandemic.
The U.S. Census Bureau was able to resume operations in Idaho on May 6 after the state lifted its stay-at-home order. Although more than 480,000 Idaho households have responded to the census, many people in rural Idaho haven’t even received a 2020 census questionnaire because of coronavirus delays.
Idaho’s Latino leaders collaborate on census outreach
Contamos Idaho Census, a collaboration of Idaho Latino leaders and local community organizations, had to cancel several outreach events and visits planned to pockets of hard-to-reach Latinos and Spanish-speakers in more than nine Idaho counties. Instead, organizers had to pivot to digital, and step up outreach on local Spanish radio stations.
The group released a fully bilingual video on Wednesday, featuring several community leaders who emphasized the importance of a fair and accurate census for Latinos.
“The coronavirus has highlighted just how important school lunches, Head Start, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, unemployment insurance, food stamps and utility assistance is to our most vulnerable communities,” said Jonathan Gonzalez, the administration coordinator for Western Idaho Community Action Partnership in the video. “And we know that’s who will carry the brunt of this national crisis.”
Some areas with hard-to-reach Latino communities still have low census response rates, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Only 44.5% of people in Wilder and 52.8% of people in Parma have responded, while less than 12% of residents in Camas and Clark counties have responded.
More than 61% of all Idaho households have responded to the census, with response rates of 75% or higher in Treasure Valley cities like Star, Kuna, Eagle and Meridian. As of May 11, about 71% of Boise had responded to the census.
“Our goal is to make our communities know that being counted in this census are safe, confidential and will provide resources for education, health care,” Hernandez said. “There’s a need for creativity and innovation and leadership, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
The 2020 Census can be completed online, over the phone or by mail. The Census Bureau is legally prohibited from sharing information gathered in census questionnaires, and personal information will be not be shared with local law enforcement or immigration officials.
To respond, go to www.2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 6:39 AM with the headline "The 2020 Census is key to helping Idaho Latinos recover from coronavirus. Here’s why."
