By John Payton

John Payton

Friends,

April 1, 2010 is Census Day! This count of the entire population occurs once every ten years, and is critical to the African American community. The distribution of federal funds to state, county and municipal governments and the distribution of political power at every level of government depend on an accurate count.

Unfortunately, the 2000 Census missed approximately 1 million people of color, more than 600,000 of whom were African American. The 2010 Census threatens to undercount those portions of the African American community that were missed in 2000 again—the poor, the mobile, and children. But the 2010 Census also threatens to miss new groups of African Americans that are vulnerable, including those impacted by the national foreclosure crisis and the hundreds of thousands of African Americans displaced as a result of the 2005 and 2008 Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Our communities, which continue to face significant discrimination in political participation, education, health care, housing, and employment, cannot afford to be left out of the Census this time.

That’s why it’s critically important for you to help us encourage every member of our community to be fully counted in the 2010 Census.

Toward that end, LDF launched Count on Change 2010 (www.countonchange2010.org), a strategic and comprehensive public education campaign that seeks to substantially improve African-American inclusion in the 2010 Census in those places where African Americans are most likely to be undercounted.

But we need your help.

This week, you should receive an official Census form in your mail. Be sure both to return your form by April 1 and to encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same. All of the information provided is completely confidential.

It only takes about ten minutes to fill out the census form!

If you do not receive a form in the mail, promptly contact a Census Bureau “Be Counted” Center by calling 866.872.6868.

Let’s make sure we make our voices count in 2010. Change counts on you!