being done to counter the concerns highlighted in this story?
From:
http://www.mshale.com/article/News/News/Count_us_Out/18459
Count us Out
Ramla Bile , Mshale News
Published 03/01/2010 - 6:13 p.m. GMT
Why Some Are Afraid to Participate in the Census
Despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has time and again upheld
the spirit and confidentiality of census information, issues regarding
access and privacy continue to persist with communities across the
state.
Members of the African immigrant and refugee community present unique
challenges, ranging from fear of disclosing housing information to
overcoming the legacy of brutal regimes in their home countries.
Census workers and organizers working with this subpopulation will
undoubtedly face these questions in the months leading up to the count
on April 1st, 2010.
“Sacdiyo Isse,” a resident in the Skyline Towers, says her greatest
fear concerning the U.S. Census is disclosing her current place of
residence. Sacdiyo lives in a house with a relative who has more
people living in the apartment than the lease allows. She fears that
her participation in the census count will jeopardize her current
living situation, and place this generous woman and the other
inhabitants in a vulnerable position. “I can easily [opt] out of the
count and not hurt anyone... I can’t displace the same person who took
me in,” she said.
She says the idea of participating in the count brings her anxiety, as
she believes this information will be shared with the landlord. When
pressed about this fear, she simply said, “I’m one person, [the census
count] is not worth all problems I can cause.”
...
Hannah Garcia, Project Director with the Minnesota Center for
Neighborhood Organizing oversees census outreach to various
communities, expressed that many immigrants and refugees mistrust the
census because these communities have traditionally been undercounted,
and do not trust the benefit factor of participating in the census.
“Too many communities feel like they have not yet reaped the benefits
of being counted, and too often people will say, ‘we’re used to
feeling like we don’t count, so there’s no point.’” Another organizer
described this mentality as “a cyclical issue.” He added that the more
communities fail to participate in the data collection process, the
more they lose. “We anticipate better engagement this year because the
last two census counts disproportionately missed ethnic minorities,
but the organizing scene in 2010 is radically different from those
years because more of those doing the count will represent the
communities they will work with.”
...
Lots more from:
http://www.mshale.com/article/News/News/Count_us_Out/18459
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