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Planned Town Hall Intended to Build Trust in 2020 U.S. Census Among Latino Community Members 

SALT LAKE CITY – To ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census, Salt Lake City, in partnership with the Consulado de México, Comunidades Unidas, Suazo Business Center, Utah Community Action, Westside Coalition and West View Media will hold a virtual Town Hall in Spanish on Wednesday, June 24 at 6 p.m.  

State and local Latino leaders will focus the Facebook Live discussion on the importance and significance of taking the U.S. Census.

“Taking just a few minutes to fill out the Census online, by phone or by mail can impact so much — particularly for our Latino community,” said Antonella Packard, Programs and Education Manager for Suazo Business Center. “Our Westside communities are undercounted, which means they are in many ways under-represented. We want to change that.”

Census data is used to determine everything from representation in government to how much funding is allocated for schools, hospitals, roads, and more. While some of Salt Lake City’s neighborhoods have very high response rates, others, particularly those on the Westside, are much lower.

“There’s no denying that some of our Latino community members are fearful of taking the Census. We want them to know there is no risk — only benefits — to participating,” said Salt Lake City Council Member Ana Valdemoros. “The Salt Lake City Council budgets and writes policy for all City residents, regardless of immigration status. By having everyone counted we can make educated decisions according to the makeup of our City, therefore it’s essential that everybody fills out the Census.”

What: Virtual Census Town Hall – in Spanish
When: Wednesday, June 24 at 6 p.m.
Where: facebook.com/SLCGovernment
Who:

• Antonella Packard – Programs and Education Manager for Suazo Business Center (moderator)
• Council Member Ana Valdemoros – Salt Lake City Council
• Head Consul José Borjon – Consulado de México en Salt Lake City
• Yehemy Zavala Orozco – Community Education Director at Comunidades Unidas
• Joél-Léhi Organista – Casa Quetzalcoatl
• Vanessa C. Penaloza – Utah Community Action client

Background

• There is NO citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
• All data collected is confidential and protected by federal law.
• Undocumented/DACAmented Immigrants are encouraged to participate.
• To help protect the health and safety of census staff and the public during COVID19, the U.S. Census Bureau has extended the census deadline to October 31, 2020. To learn more about SLC Counts 2020, visit www.slc.gov/census/ or for Spanish, visit https://www.slc.gov/censo/.
• 64.3 percent of Salt Lake City residents have already self-responded to the census, but participation on the City’s Westside is low. In some pockets of Rose Park, participation is as low as 50 percent, while in some Eastside neighborhoods participation is over 80 percent. Higher census participation rates mean more federal dollars and political representation for communities.
• Salt Lake County is currently competing against Utah County to increase current participation rates by 5 percent. The “losing” cities will send volunteers to support the winning County’s food bank. More information visit slc.gov/census.

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