US Census will end a month earlier; undercount of AAPI feared

The fingerprints of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are all over the latest attempt to affect the US Census that could result in a drastic undercount of minorities and immigrants.

Last week, seemingly out of the blue, the United States Census Bureau announced it would end its efforts to count the number of people living in the country on Sept. 30, a month earlier than anticipated.

Originally, the count was supposed to end in July. But in April, the official census count was extended to Oct. 31, to help census-takers accommodate for social-distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I believe that ending the enumeration a month early (relative to the previous modified schedule) will be an unprecedented disaster for people of color and low-income people. Our continuing monitoring indicates that there is still a huge gap between advantaged and disadvantaged neighborhoods," Paul Ong, director of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and a former Census Bureau adviser, told ABC in an email.

"There are enormous political and economic implications from a racially biased census counted. Marginalized populations will be further disenfranchised and disproportionately left out for public funds and services," Ong wrote.

Forcing the Census Bureau to rush the census in the middle of a pandemic is part of an intentional plot to sabotage the census to reflect a less diverse and inaccurate portrait of America. A rushed census shortchanges critical operations that count people of color, American Indians, low-income people, and people experiencing homelessness. This would skew Congressional representation, redistricting, and critical funding for every state in the country.

Without commenting on the shortened data collection period, the Census Bureau on Monday issued a noncommtal statement:

We are committed to a complete and accurate 2020 Census. To date, 93 million households, nearly 63 percent of all households in the Nation, have responded to the 2020 Census. Building on our successful and innovative internet response option, the dedicated women and men of the Census Bureau, including our temporary workforce deploying in communities across the country in upcoming weeks, will work diligently to achieve an accurate count.

We appreciate the support of our hundreds of thousands of community-based, business, state, local and tribal partners contributing to these efforts across our Nation. The 2020 Census belongs to us all. If you know someone who has not yet responded, please encourage them to do so today online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail.

The Census Bureau quietly removed references to the 31 October deadline from its website and offered no explanation for the reversal and the decision to cut back on the timeline.

The abrupt reversal comes as Trump has shown renewed interest in using the census for partisan gain, and the decision to drop the additional follow-up appears to be an effort to produce data that disadvantages minority groups to use for the next decade.

Last month Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum requiring the Census Bureau to exclude undocumented individuals from the count that is used for reapportioning Congressional seats. Stephen Miller, Trump's top immigration advisor, who has consistently pushed for anti-immigrant policies. 

"The Constitutional mandate is clear that the U.S. Census must count the 'whole number of persons' in this country, regardless of immigration status," said a statement from Asian Americans Advancing Justice. 

"With this move, the President is pretending that people don’t exist and ignoring the Constitution in an attempt to tilt the scales of political power. Without an accurate count of everyone living in the U.S., the Trump Administration is sabotaging each of our communities to be under-resourced and underrepresented for the next decade."

Trump's earlier attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census and his recent memorandum to keep undocumented immigrants from being included in data reported for congressional apportionment have one thing in common: they’re unconstitutional and were put forth knowing they would likely be struck down by the courts. 

"The real goal is to scare and confuse immigrants, people in mixed-status families, and broader immigrant communities away from participating in the 2020 Census," said a statement from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Coronavirus causes shift in outreach for 2020 Census

The stay-at-home mandates imposed by the threat of the coronavirus has forced the way the 2020  Census is reaching out to US residents.

Local agencies reaching out to the AAPI communities have turned their efforts to a more digital strategy, using PSAs, viral videos, and social media to encourage individuals to fill out the 2020 Census.

"For a community that includes undocumented immigrants and individuals in mixed-status households, we know some are still hesitant about completing the census so we are doing all we can to give them reassurance that we are here to support them through our census hotline, census pledge, and numerous resources on the website," says Terry Ao Minnis, senior director of census and voting programs for Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice launched the CountUsIn2020.org website one year ago as the central hub for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander individuals, and organizations in communities across the nation. 

The website has resources in 23 different languages from factsheets and PSAs to webinars and toolkits to help people understand the importance of the census and locally help our communities be counted fairly and accurately.

"The census is our opportunity as a community to be counted and seen, gain representative power, and get our fair share of resources," says Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. "

"The Asian and Pacific Islander community is poised to be the largest immigrant group, but we are so much more than a political label," Kohli continued. "We are diverse in cultures, languages, histories, with unique challenges and needs. Participating in the census is one of the most important tools of democracy available to us to announce our growth, and diversity in this country."

The best time to fill out the census is now when COVID-19 has forced people indoors for their safety. It only takes several minutes to fill out the census. As we all share concern for the health and safety of our family, friends, and neighbors and worry about the economic impact of this pandemic, we can do something now to contribute to our long-term economic and community prosperity by filling out the census.

"We understand the concern on everyone's mind to remain healthy, and for that reason, it's best to respond online, over the phone or by mail as soon as invitations are received," says June Lim, demographic research project director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice - LA. 

"Simply follow the instructions in your preferred language to answer the nine questions. Amongst other languages, you are able to complete the census online or by phone in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The Census Bureau has printed visual language guides available in 59 language options and video guides to completing the Census online in 63 languages."

The 2020 Census will determine many aspects of our lives, children, and neighbors for the next 10 years, including voting representation. In some parts of the country, the outcome of the census data is the difference between a gain or loss of seats in Congress. 

Through the data collected, the Census could determine the allocation of more than $1.5 trillion in annual federal funding determines where new schools are built, financial aid for college students, and where new roads and businesses are located.

"Each of us has a role to play when it comes to the census. Every household matters. We need census data to advocate for the resources and representation our communities deserve. If we don't respond now, we risk limiting this powerful advocacy tool and we could feel the impact over the next decade," says Stephanie Cho, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta.

California AAPI Census Outreach goes virtual following stay-at-home order

By Amy Xiaoshi-Depaola

ASAM NEWS

California’s Asian American Pacific Islander groups have found a way to get around the shelter-in-place order in pursuit of community census outreach.

Door-to-door canvassing and other in-person efforts have ceased in the wake of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shelter-in-place order, which warns all Californians to stay at home — save for “essential infrastructure workers,” such as healthcare and food service — in an effort to contain the virus.

So AAPI groups are going digital.

“We have stopped all of our workshops since last Friday due to shelter-in-place, so we’re coming up with some alternative ways to reach out to hard-to-reach communities,” said Myan Duong, program coordinator of the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay.

Duong said these efforts include social media, as well as calling and texting their clients, encouraging them to respond to the census. The organization used to have in-person workshops and census clinics to connect with senior citizens, immigrants, and others with English language difficulties, but is strategizing from within and with other local organizations to reach them.

“The #2020Census is here!” one of the messages reads, translated into Vietnamese. “We encourage you to respond to the Census online or by phone by calling 844-398-2020 (Cantonese), 844-391-2020 (Mandarin), or 844-461-2020 (Vietnamese) to complete your Census. If you need any assistance, please reach out to us. #EveryoneCounts.”

Torm Nompraseurt, senior community organizer at Asian Pacific Environmental Network, said that they used to have person-to-person interactions at social sites like church, temple, or grocery stores.

One major concern that gets lost is that many Laotian elders can’t read and/or write the English or Lao language, and need someone’s help to translate. If the elders live alone, their resources to know about — and later fill out — the census are even more limited.

It’s not as simple as translating English into Laotian, as with Chinese or Korean, both of have a standard language, Nomprasuert said. There are 42 different Laotian dialects, with 12 main dialects in the U.S., including Lao, Hmong, Mien, and Khmu.

So Nomprasuert and other community leaders are recording video messages on Facebook in Laotian, English, and multiple ethnic languages in an attempt to reach as many groups as possible.

“Because [the organization] can’t go door-to-door anymore to reach out to them, they really rely heavily on social media and recorded videos to try to reach them,”  he said.

It’s especially important to reach Lao elders, who “are hardest-hit with non-disaggregated data” in being lumped into the Asian American umbrella, Nompraseur added. Language access for medical, legal, social, and senior services are critical, but language access in Lao, including in the many dialects, is missing in many U.S. municipal areas.

“The elders are physically and linguistically very isolated with language barriers, which can lead to elder abuse and mental health issues like depression,” Nompraseur said in an email.

As a result, the organization is looking for volunteers to make phone calls, particularly to encourage children and grandchildren to educate their elders, as well as artists who can communicate the importance of the census to have these governmental resources.

Grassroots community-building organization Jakara Movement, meanwhile, is taking outreach one step further: to local radio and TV stations.

“We are doing interviews with Punjabi Radio USA, where a hundred thousand Punjabis tune into almost every single day,” Ragini Kaur, Jakara Movement’s Greater Bay Area Community Organizer.

In addition to using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and translating census videos into Punjabi, the Jakara Movement conducts interviews on news channels in Fresno and other local radio and TV stations, such as Radio Punjab 620 AM and Jus Punjabi TV. They are also spreading awareness through newspaper advertisements and newsletters.

Like the Lao community, language barriers and accessibility are issues for the Punjabi community, especially in the Central Valley. Punjabi is the “third-largest spoken language” in the area, after English and Spanish, but there are few translators, Kaur said.

The group would canvas in Alameda and Santa Clara county, go to local community events and places of worship, and planned to be at a religious and cultural festival in April, but the coronavirus and stay-at-home order halted those plans.

“A lot of that had to be cancelled,” she said.

For now, they’re setting up phone banking, hoping to encourage people to advocate for their specific needs, despite hesitance about filling out the census from the community.

“There’s a fear within the Sikh community… and a lot of us come to this country as economic refugees from India, are undocumented, or asylum seekers,” Kaur said, and people fear their personal information being reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This is similar in the Vietnamese community as well, Duong of the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay said, and much of their dialogue is reassuring people that their information will be confidential.

Making sure people know how important the census is, she said , is critical, mainly because their organization serves the low-income, refugee population in the San Francisco Bay Area. The AAPI community is the fastest-growing population, yet historically undercounted and underrepresented in governmental resources.

“100% of our clients are considered hard-to-reach,” Duong said in a phone interview.

And these clients are no longer reachable in person, especially the elderly.

Kaur is adamant about filling out the census, as the specific needs of the Punjabi community, often grouped with Asian/Indian category, are often lost. Much of the Punjabi population are blue-collar workers who are in the transportation and agricultural sectors, as well as economic refugees.

“We have 120 years of history in the United States,” she said. “We’re often overlooked; our issues are very different.”

Filipino American spoof 'Ang Drama Mo' touts the US Census

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Dante Basco, left, and Princess Punzalan, right, star in 'Ang Drama Mo.'

Filipino American actors spoofed the popular Filipino soap operas (teleserye) offered up on TV networks offering Filipino shows from the Philippines, to urge Filipinos living in the US to take part in the #Census2020.

The first episode, "The Wedding," in what apparently will be a series, features all the hallmarks of favorite teleseryes-- drama, betrayal, a guy with an eyepatch! -- but the overly dramatic soap opera is being used to spread the word to the Filipino American community to participate in #Census2020. 

The Asian American & Pacific Islander communities, in particularly, the Filipino American community, has been proven difficult to count in the past. This year, the Census is making a greater effort to reach out by partnering with community groups.

Nonprofit agencies serving their local communities have been working with the US Census Bureau to ensure a better count.

Ang Drama Mo was created in conjunction with the Pilipino Workers Center and the Filipino Complete Count Committee of Los Angeles County.

It features Dante Basco (Hook, The Last Airbender) and Princess Punzalan (Yellow Rose) with Carlin James, Francisco "Pepe" San Martin, and Sean Michael Afable.

Since March 14, the Census has been sending out reminders to every household to fill out the Census questionnaire online.

The data collected by the data is confidential and won't be shared with any other government agency or private business.

The data will be used to determine your political representation and the following:

NOTE: The US Census Bureau continues to carefully monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and follow the guidance of federal, state, and local health authorities. The bureau is adjusting some operations with two key principles in mind: protecting the health and safety of our staff and the public, and fulfilling our statutory requirement to deliver the 2020 Census counts to the President on schedule.

In support of guidance on what it can all do to help slow the spread of coronavirus, 2020 Census field operations will be suspended for two weeks until April 1, 2020.

Kamala Haris wants Facebook to clamp down on misleading GOP advertisements about the Census

SCREEN CAPTURE / CSPAN

Kamala Harris wants Facebook to take stronger measures against misleading ads.

ASAM NEWS

US Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) took Facebook executives to task over misleading 2020 Census advertisements on its site.
In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg on March 5, Harris criticized the company for its “failure to enforce [its] policies banning misinformation.”

Facebook had run “thousands” of ads from Donald Trump Make America Great Again, a fundraising arm of President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, asking users to take the “Official 2020 Congressional District Census.”

“President Trump needs you to take the Official 2020 Congressional District Census today. We need to hear from you before the most important election in American history,” the ad said. It then asked users to “respond NOW” and text “TRUMP to 8022,” according to The New York Times.

But instead of being taken to the U.S. Census Bureau government site, users were instead redirected to a Trump campaign page with “misleading information on how to take the census,” including dates, times, locations, and methods, according to Harris’s letter. The census had not begun to survey the public at the time.

The ads were still approved and ran for “hours,” even after the company was made aware of the misinformation by Vanita Gupta, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Harris is just one of the Democrats criticizing Facebook for running the misleading ads. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called it “a robust unacceptable interference in the census” in a press conference Thursday, The Hill reported.

In response, a Facebook spokesman replied that they received Harris’s letter and “look forward to clarifying the policies Facebook has in place to prevent confusion around the official U.S. census.”

The advertisements have since been removed, but Harris is concerned that the company’s initial approval of the ads is a signal that Facebook is “now backing away from full enforcement of those policies.” Such misinformation in future elections could result in voter disenfranchisement.

It is also a concern for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, which the U.S. Census Bureau has recognized as difficult to count, due to language barriers and the “large number of first-generation immigrants, estimated to be at least two-thirds of the over 22 million AAPI in the US,” according to AAPI Data.

There’s already confusion, worry, and lack of knowledge about the census, which is why activist groups are taking it upon themselves to educate communities on the benefits of taking the census, including how the information may be used.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus member An Le had expressed concern about non-English speakers, particularly in California, who would fall through the cracks without appropriate outreach and information.

Gupta echoed the concerns of Harris and other civil rights leaders in a recent statement:

“While we’re gratified that Facebook shut down Trump’s attempt to sow confusion about how and when to participate in the 2020 census, it’s disturbing that the ads weren’t immediately removed,” Gupta said. “We will continue to hold Facebook accountable to enforce it. Nothing should distract from making sure everyone gets counted.”

2020 Census: Pacific Islanders want to stop being 'invisible'

By Louis Chan,

ASAM NEWS

Some one dozen Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups gathered last Saturday in person in Redwood City in California and via Zoom to stress the importance of completing the 2020 Census and the challenges Pacific Islanders face in getting counted.

Census forms began arriving in the mail last week.

“We are speaking about our children, our children now and where they’ll be in 10 years,” said Epi Aumavae, co-founder of Samoan Solutions.

“The census 2020 is one very simple way we can secure resources for our future generations. What do I want resources to look like for my children, our children, Pacific Islander children,” Aumavae said.

The census helps the federal government determine how communities and non-profits are funded. It also determines the mapping of congressional districts, which can make the difference between a diverse congress and one that is predominantly White.

“We talk about empowering others. To me that’s census,” said Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i, a community activist and member of the Jefferson Elementary School District Board of Trustees in Daly City, Calif. “Classrooms have to be funded. That’s census. The reality is we are an invisible community.”

It wasn’t until 2000 when Pacific Islanders were listed on a census form. Up to then, Pacific Islanders could only check the “other” box to describe their ethnicity.

In 2018, the Census Bureau estimated they were 1.4 million Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. That was up from 1.2 million in 2010, according to Alisi Tulua, a consultant with One East Palo Alto.

Tulua said states with the largest population of NHPIs are Hawaii (373,000), California (317,000), Washington (88,000), Texas (56,000), and Utah (45,000). In 2018, NHPIs in Utah replaced those in Florida as the fifth largest NHPI population in the country.

Ethnic Media Services and Island Block Radio organized Saturday’s panel. Sandy Close, founder of Ethnic Media Services, emphasized the importance of disaggregation and to recognize the challenges faced by the Pacific Islander communities separate from Asian Americans. She described the 2020 Census as “high stakes” for Pacific Islanders.

Taunu’u Ve’e Noga of Regional Pacific Islander Task Force pointed out that Pacific Islanders have the lowest rate of usage of mental health services, the second highest infant mortality rate behind African Americans and a higher rate of diabetes and heart disease.

“County agencies need to consider the Pacific Islander community in their operations to improve the health outcomes in our communities,” Ve’e Noga said. “We continue to advocate for more regional needs. Assign a disaggregated data plan for Pacific Islanders.”
But for this to happen, the Census Bureau needs an accurate count of Pacific Islanders. There are many obstacles that need to be overcome.

Sonya Logman of the California Complete Count Committee emphasized information gathered for the Census can’t be used by law enforcement or immigration enforcement. There is no fee for filling out the census and no one will ever ask you for personal financial information.

“A lot of our families, maybe two to three families living in unit, may not be on lease for a unit,” said Tavae Samuelu of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities. “They are really fearful of being identified. Their immigration status might not be where they want it to be. They might be deported. We have families living in these units that don’t want to share their information.”

Everyone’s information will remain private. Your landlord will not be able to access your information. You will not be asked about your citizenship.

No questions are asked by sexual orientation, but you can list your partner as a same sex partner, if you like. For some from the LGBTQ community, that may be difficult.

“Our biggest challenge in our LGBT community in Pacific Islander circles is they have a fear as identifying as LGBTQ because of conservative culture and religious belief,” said Talavou Aumavae, Complete Count Committee for San Mateo County.

Finau Tove of the Mana Learning Program at the College of San Mateo described NHPIs as superconnected to church and family.

“Our leaders are our pastors and ancestors,” Tove said.

The 2020 Census is the first census that will be conducted primarily online. You will also have the option of mailing in your census or filling out the census over the phone. For those who don’t respond, a census worker may knock on your door and assist you in few simple questions. The Census should not take more than a few minutes to complete.

Here are the questions that will be asked.

For the US Census, Filipino Americans once again face that question of identity

DIOKNO

A Filipino American family with six generations reflects America.

OPINION

With the US Census mailing out their questionnaires this week to all US households (and even those without households), Filipino Americans will once again confront that recurring question of "what the heck am I?"

The US Census is taking place as required by the Constitution. Every ten years the government must count all the people living within its borders, citizens, greencard holders, those here on a special visa and those who here without proper documentation. Everyone!

One of the questions the Census is asking for is the respondent's race or ethnicity. That's a tougher question for some than for others.

Information on race is required for many Federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights and voting rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment and educational opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks.Among Asians, Filipinos are probably the most racially fluid. Undoubtedly, some old-timers with Hispanic surnames will include themselves as Hispanic. Some super-patriotic ex-military-types will skip the question because they proudly think of themselves as "American."

For my fellow Filipino Americans and Filipinos living in the US, this year should be a no-brainer. The Census makes it easy for those questioning their identity, there's a box for "Filipino." Check it!

Since 1960, people were allowed to choose their own race. This year’s Census will have the same categories for people of Asian descent it used in 2010: “Chinese,” “Japanese,” “Filipino,” “Korean,” “Asian Indian,” “Vietnamese,” and “Other Asian.”

Personally, I go by the one-drop rule, but I leave that up to the individual for whatever you feel comfortable with. Hell, under my definition, even Hailee Steinfeld, who claims 1/16th Filipino heritage and has not yet played a Filipino in any of her movie roles, can mark down "Filipino." The more the merrier, I say. 

(That's not a knock on Hailee. For the record, she says she'd love to play a Filipino in honor of her grandfather, but she's never been offered a script that calls for her to play a Filipino.)

AM I REALLY FILIPINO?

Oh, I know there are those haughty purists out there who would reject my identity because I don't speak a Filipino dialect, or that I was raised in the US, or I speak English without an American accent.  They'd likely tell me, "You're not a real Filipino," whatever "real" means. 

To hell with them. That's their problem.

It took awhile, but growing up in the multi-cultural California,  decided long ago that I am a  Filipino. They don''t know about the slurs I suffered growing up.  They don't know the times I was left out, the times I was marginalized, forgotten, rejected, passed over or ignored ... all because of the color of my skin or my ethnicity.

Some years ago, a cousin immigrated to the US from Manila. College-educated, young, hip. After awhile, he joined a local Filipino folkdance group. 

He told me, "in the Philippines I never would have joined such a group. I never would have learned to dance the tinikling," or consider joining a folk dance troupe. He had always took for granted being Filipino. In the Philippines, he never had to think about or choosing to be Filipino.

So, like me, he arrived at the moment where he had to define himself in this new land. Our journeys may have taken different paths but we both arrived at the same conclusion: Instead of being ashamed or rejecting his heritage, he chose to embrace being Filipino.

During the 70s when the Asian American civil rights movement was in its infancy, the question always arose: Are Filipinos Asian or Pacific Islander?

Geographically and if you trace the DNA of Polynesians, Filipinos can identify as both. At some point during an ice age, the Philippines was connected to main land mass of Asia when the adventurous found their way there.

There are also recent studies from the University of Adelaide that says the Philippines could be the ancestral homeland of the Polynesians, whose forebears colonized the Pacific about 3,200 years ago. 

The Census doesn't take into account the polyglot nature of Filipinos. Three hundred years of Spanish rule and a half-century being told that America is the gold standard for civilization. Because of its geographical location along ocean trade routes, there has been a steady stream of Chinese immigrant traders and merchants, South Asians have been going to the Philippines just as long, remnants of the Vietnamese refugees and Japanese military and economic incursions. And you can't discount the back-and-forth from Indonesia and Borneo seafarers who for centuries have been crossing the oceans like forever to visit relatives irrespective of political boundaries.

That's been a recurring theme in Philippine history: Take what the newcomer brings to the table, give it a local twist and the adaptive process changes both groups of people -- the immigrant and the indigenous folk -- culturally, linguistically, gastronomically or physically. 

In this respect, Filipinos and the Philippines are a lot like Americans and the US. With the waves of immigrants from around the world, the default image of an American should no longer be the white American male. Like Americans (should see themselves), the Filipino is the sum total of all these influences.

TWITTER

Actress Hailee Steinfeld, left, and her mother Cheri Doomain-Steinfeld.

HOW TO ANSWER IF YOU'RE OF MIXED HERITAGE

It gets a bit more complicated if you're of more than one racial heritage, ie the aforementioned Hailee, but the same question also faces Filipino American celebrities such as Darren Criss, H.E.R., Asia Jackson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dave Bautista, Vanessa Hudgens, Jordan Clarkson, Sharon Leal, Enrique Iglesias and Bruno Mars among others. 

The Census allows you to check more than one box. And if your racial heritage doesn't have a box. you can write in the missing ethnicity or race. The Census Bureau projects that the US's multiracial population will triple by 2060. In other words, about 1 in 5 Americans will identify themselves as multiracial so don't think you're alone if you're uncertain.

The Census allows the responder to self-identify. Here is what the Census has to say for those with multiple racial or ethnic origins:

An individual’s response to the race question is based upon self-identification. The Census Bureau does not tell individuals which boxes to mark or what heritage to write in. For the first time in Census 2000, individuals were presented with the option to self-identify with more than one race and this continues with the 2010 Census. People who identify with more than one race may choose to provide multiple races in response to the race question. For example, if a respondent identifies as "Asian" and "White," they may respond to the question on race by checking the appropriate boxes that describe their racial identities and/or writing in these identities on the spaces provided.

Unfortunately, there are full-blooded Filipinos on Guam and Hawaii who will mark down Chamorro or Hawaiian. Nothing wrong with that if that's how you identify, but don't forget to include to write in Filipino, too.

The question on race and ethnicity appears in the 2020 Census questionnaire.

Getting an accurate count is important for political purposes, for health data, economic and educational opportunities and representation in the general culture. We're here and we want acknowledgement of our presence and our needs.

Just to be clear, when the US Census asks what ethnicity you are, if you have any trace of Filipino blood in you, please check "Filipino." Do NOT Check "Other" or write in "Pacific Islander."

Though my family's roots are from the Philippines, our relatives in the US extend through a multitude of races and runs the spectrum of all shades of beige, black and brown. That talent of adaptation and transformation is America, but Filipinos have been doing it longer.

In a 2019 interview, Haliee said, “I have Filipino blood in me and I’m so proud of that." So Hailee, which box will you check?

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Count on us; Census to start soon

It's time to be counted.

The 2020 Census actually began in January in rural villages of Alaska because harsh weather conditions forced everyone to be homebound. 

Now the rest of the nation gets to start taking part in the once-a-decade head count, mandated by the US Constitution. 

The 2010 Census counted about 18 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian Americans is the fastest growing demographic, exceeding the Latino growth rate. Ten years later, it expected that  the tally of Asian Americans will exceed 22 million.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

WHEN WILL I HEAR FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU?

The Census Bureau will begin sending out notices this week (Thursday, March 12) to 95% of the nation's households, informing people that they can start participating in the 2020 census.

The mailings will be staggered, going out from March 12 to 20 to avoid overwhelming the self-response website and a telephone helpline. 

The 2020 count will be the first one to allow all U.S. households to respond online. Paper forms will still be available, and, for the first time, you can call 1-800 numbers to give responses over the phone.

About 80% of households receiving the initial mailings will be encouraged to answer the questions online, and around 20% of households will get a paper questionnaire that can be mailed back because they live in neighborhoods with low internet access or large numbers of seniors.

Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire along with their invitation. The invitation will also include information about how to respond online or by phone.

The online census forms are offered in five Asian languages, and the Census Bureau is publishing informational guides in about two dozen Asian languages.

WILL THERE BE HOME VISITS?

Census workers will make home visits to remote areas — including rural Alaska, parts of northern Maine and some American Indian reservations — to gather census information in person. Households in the rest of the U.S. that do not respond themselves by early April may start receiving visits from door knockers trained to conduct census interviews and collect responses using smartphones.

For less than 5% of households, in areas that have been hit by natural disaster or places that use only PO boxes, a census taker will drop off the initial notices in person. Census takers will eventually go home to home, interviewing residents of households that have not responded.

If you haven't responded April 8-16, you'll receive a notice and a paper questionnaire.

If you still haven't responded by April 20-27, households will receive a final notice and an in-person visit by a Census worker.

IS THERE A QUESTION ABOUT RACE?

Notable changes for 2020 include new write-in areas under the race question for the non-Hispanic origins of those who identify as white and/or black ("German" and "Jamaican" are among the provided examples). There are also new household relationship categories that allow couples living together to identify their relationships as either "same-sex" or "opposite-sex."

The Census asks about a person’s race to create statistics about race and to present other statistics by race groups. In 2010, for example, the statistics illustrated the nation’s changing racial diversity, as well as the size, growth, and geographic distribution of various racial population groups. In addition, the data collected in these questions is needed by federal agencies to monitor compliance with the anti-discrimination provisions of laws such as the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. 

Responding to the race question is easy. The 2020 Census follows the most recent race and ethnicity standards for the federal government set by the Office of Management and Budget in 1997. When you complete your census form, select one or more boxes for the race(s) you identify with. You can also print your origins in the write-in space, if you choose.

WILL THERE BE A CITIZENSHIP QUESTION?

The controversial question about citizenship will not be asked. In July, federal courts permanently blocked the Trump administration from adding to the 2020 census the question, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" 

The Census Bureau, however, continues to include a citizenship question on other forms it asks some US households to complete, including the American Community Survey; census forms for American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands; and the 2019 Census Test, which is collecting responses through Aug. 15.

WILL THE CENSUS DATA BE SHARED WITH OTHER AGENCIES?

The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the US Code to keep your information confidential.

Under Title 13, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. The law ensures that your private data is protected and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

The answers you provide are used only to produce statistics. You are kept anonymous: The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify you or anyone else in your home.

Being responsible stewards of your data is not only required by law, it is embedded in Census Bureau culture. Strict policies and statistical safeguards help protect the confidentiality of your information.

That being said, beware of scams.

During the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will never ask you for:

• Your Social Security number.
• Money or donations.
• Anything on behalf of a political party.
• Your bank or credit card account numbers.

If someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau contacts you via email or phone and asks you for one of these things, it's a scam, and you should not cooperate. For more information, visit Avoiding Fraud and Scams.

NEED ASSISTANCE?

There are several ways that you can contact the U.S. Census Bureau for support.

For language support: The 2020 Census can be completed by phone in the following languages. Phone lines are open every day from 7am to 2am Eastern Time.

English: 844-330-2020Spanish: 844-468-2020Chinese (Mandarin): 844-391-2020Chinese (Cantonese): 844-398-2020Vietnamese: 844-461-2020Korean: 844-392-2020Russian: 844-417-2020Arabic: 844-416-2020Tagalog: 844-478-2020Japanese: 844-460-2020

For information on services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: Call the TDD number at 800-467-2020.

For general questions: Visit the US Census' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

Bay Area Filipino American community bands together to ensure accurate count for 2020 Census

ASAM NEWS

Filipino Americans and organizations from six Bay Area counties have formed regional Bay Area Filipino Complete Count Committee (BAFCCC) ahead of the 2020 census, NBC News Bay Area reports.

The BAFCCC’s goal is to ensure an accurate count of Filipinos in the Bay Area. Its tagline is ​“​Kabilang Tayo sa Kinabukasan​”, “Be Counted for our Future.” 

An accurate count, the committee says, will help give the Filipino community the financial resources and political representation it deserves.

Around 500,000 Filipinos live in the Bay Area. This means the Bay Area is home to roughly 12 percent of America’s Filipino population and 30 percent of California’s Filipino population.

The committee plans to use the knowledge and expertise of locals and community organizations to pinpoint which Filipinos in the Bay Area are most vulnerable to an undercount. It also has developed an outreach and education campaign to teach others how they can make sure they are counted. Recently, they partnered with the Oakland A’s and attended a game to share more information about the 2020 census.

Updates on the BAFCCC’s outreach campaign can be found on their Facebook page.

“If this strategy is working please make sure out communities all across the united states use this strategy to ensure that we are 4 million strong and we want to make sure that there are 4 million voices in the upcoming census 2020,”  said Geraldine Alcid.

Trump gov't will continue awkward efforts to include citizenship question in Census

Attorneys of the Justice Department are still looking for a way to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. If all else fails, Donald Trump said he would consider issuing an Executive Order to add the controversial question.
"It's one of the ways that we're thinking about doing it, very seriously," he said.

U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel Hazel had expressed mounting frustration with the mixed signals the administration was sending, first telling him on Tuesday that the question was off only to have Trump tweet the next day that the administration was "absolutely moving forward" with efforts to include the question.

The government, under directions of the Commerce Department, has already begun the process of printing the census questionnaire without that question.

On Friday (July 5), Hazel adopted a scheduling order allowing discovery to begin immediately in the racial intent claims brought by MALDEF in the Maryland federal court.

Hazel issued the order in response to filings by the Trump administration and plaintiffs regarding how to proceed in light of the government’s continued inability to tell the court what it will do to attempt to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month on the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) claim challenging the late addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

MALDEF and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (Advancing Justice | AAJC) sued the administration and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in May 2018 on behalf Latino and Asian American individuals, Native Americans, social service nonprofits, state legislative associations, civil rights groups, voting rights organizations, and community partnerships that would be forced to divert resources to combat a potential severe undercount in their respective communities.

In addition to a successful claim under the APA like the one the Supreme Court ruled upon, the lawsuit included the unique allegation that the Trump administration officials and others intentionally conspired to deprive racial minorities of their constitutional rights by adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Those claims will now move forward.

“To be clear, orders in several courts across the country remain in place that prevent the Trump administration from proceeding with a citizenship question on Census 2020," said Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel. "Until those orders are removed or modified, no executive order or other decision can permit the citizenship question to move forward.

“There is nothing talismanic about an executive order. Such an order does not override a Supreme Court or other judicial decision; nor does it overturn or circumvent the congressionally-established process for determining the content of the Census. Our government is not a dictatorship.

“There are also no mulligans in the law. An executive order does not result in ignoring the abundant evidence of unconstitutional racial discrimination that actually lies behind the late addition of the citizenship question to the Census, especially when Donald Trump was integrally involved in the conspiracy to add the question for legally improper reasons," continued Saenz.

By Friday evening, the American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge in New York to permanently block the administration from adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census.

"The Trump administration repeatedly argued the census forms could not be altered after June 30. They've now changed their tune because the Supreme Court ruled against them. They can't have it both ways," said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's voting rights project.

The Census Bureau’s own experts have said a citizenship question would discourage immigrants from participating in the survey and result in a less accurate census that would redistribute money and political power away from Democratic-led cities where immigrants tend to cluster to whiter, rural areas where Republicans do well.

The government's facilating positions and the plaintiff's counter moves could hurt the census, said John Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The group is a plaintiff in the Maryland case. “The government is trying to sow seeds of confusion in the public,” Yang said.

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