Manuel Caballero and family.
These local celebrities filled out their U.S. Census form for the first time as a household.
Manuel Caballero says he and his wife are immigrants who want to make sure they are counted so that their community receives the proper funding for schools, including after care and nutrition services.
The Caballeros aren’t famous, but being counted in the Census makes a difference because it determines how the federal government will distribute billions of dollars for things like Medicare, food stamps, highway planning and the Pell Grant, which helps students afford college. It’s also a factor in how Federal and state congressional districts are drawn.
The U.S. Census Bureau last week moved the deadline back to Sept. 30, lopping off 30 days from the original deadline. We already know that communities of color, and immigrant communities especially, are less likely to answer the Census, although they’re often communities that need those services the most.
The Census counts everyone who lives in the United States, regardless of citizenship or immigration status; don’t let the Trump administration fool you into thinking otherwise.
Be counted, and be a revolutionary today! Fill out your Census form. Ask everyone you know whether they’ve been counted. It takes a few minutes to do it online.
