The Countdown To Be Counted
The Next County Council Set To Make Hard 2020 Census Push
By Raoul Dennis // PHOTO: JOHN EDMUNDS
Deni Taveras
It’s no secret that immigrant communities today are the least likely to stand in the spotlight to be counted for the 2020 Census. It’s likely that no other group of Americans are more interested in remaining in the shadows of society these days than those first-generation families.
It’s also no secret that undercounted communities lose monies they would have otherwise gotten.
But what many Prince Georgians may not know is just how much the county is losing in federal funding – even during the Obama years.
Prince George’s lost some $300 million after being undercounted in the 2010 Census.
County leaders realize that addressing the issue will be an uphill climb. County Councilmembers Todd M. Turner (D-Dist., 4), Deni Taveras (D-Dist. 2) and Mel Franklin (D-At Large) addressed the issue at a Dec. 3 press conference.
Mel Franklin
“I think that we have the largest amount of money lost compared to anyone else in the state of Maryland or in the surrounding jurisdictions,” Councilmember Taveras said. “Prince George’s County lost $18,250 per person [in the 2010 Census]. That’s a total of $363 million. I don’t think any other area can compare to that.” The councilmember later confirmed that no other single jurisdiction in Maryland had such a loss. In total, she points out that Maryland lost $1 billion.
Taveras said that the county needs a sense of urgency in getting fuller participation in the census (she made similar remarks at a recent meeting of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable). She says her district, which covers one of the most diverse communities in the state, endured particularly low turnout.
“A hundred percent of my district was undercounted,” she says.
“We do have a plan for addressing this – getting ready for the April deadline,” County Council Chairman Turner says. “Community outreach is a big part of this and I will be doing that early next year. There are areas we need to concentrate more on. But it’s a combined effort. We are bringing in our faith community, our non-profits, and our municipalities. We all have to be partners in this because we all benefit from fuller participation.”
Taveras says leaders will have to be creative and aggressive with messaging. “It needs to be in multiple languages and culturally sensitive,” she says.
“Participation may be a bigger problem in certain parts of the county over others, but it impacts all of us,” Franklin says. “Because when we lose that funding, we lose services. Those residents [in undercounted communities] will still need those services and when they don’t get those resources, they are going to come to the county for it. And that will impact the county budget,” he explains. “So it’s essential that we get every single dime that’s coming to the county. It’s not just an issue facing the Latino community.”
