Today, the People’s Alliance Board & Race Equity team wrote to the County Commissioners urging them to assign zero value to the Confederate statue that was removed by protesters.

This past Monday, on the heels of the racial divide in Charlottesville, protesters in Durham gathered in front of the former Durham County Courthouse to confront a symbol of hate and white supremacy.  Again today our community was called back to this place to take a stand against threats from white supremacists. For many, the Confederate Soldiers Monument that bore the quotation, “In memory of the boys who wore gray” was a symbol of horror, terror, violence and inequality for people of color. Fueled by the desire for change, activists took a non-violent direct action in response to a North Carolina State law, that has made it illegal to remove confederate symbols on public property without the permission of state officials.    

We raise our voice in many ways. One of those is to make sure that the people in power acknowledge that we are here. We will not be ignored. WE WILL BE COUNTED…IN THE CENSUS in 2020.

You know what I’m talking about.  Powers that be will try to pretend we are not here. They will forget to count people in certain neighborhoods, certain zip codes, or certain communities of color. We’ve seen it before, and they will try again.

But if we start early, we won’t let that happen.

Will you contact Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr right now and
ask them to support adequate funding for the 2020 Census?

(See sample email and contact information below.)

The Census will not only impact redistricting (North Carolina may end up with an additional congressional seat, for example), but also housing assistance, highway planning, education policy, Medicaid and Medicare, and so many other federal programs. 

The big work of preparing for the next Census is starts now. Congress and the Trump Administration will decide how much effort really is needed for a Census. 

Do you want to leave it up to them to decide?  That’s why we are getting organized right now.  And we need your help.

The census has historically under-counted communities of color, urban and rural low-income households, immigrants, young children, and our undocumented friends and family. That has led to less funding for vital programs. Funny how that works, right? 

And we’re not going to let that happen this time. It’s time to get serious and get organized. Join us.

Redistricting. Housing. Education. Healthcare. Jobs. Census data are vital to creating equal opportunity and access in all of these critical areas. 

Let’s make sure everyone gets counted.  Thank you for taking this step to make sure this happens.

Sample Email to Senators Burr and Tillis

Dear Senator _________: 

As a resident of North Carolina, the 12^th fastest growing state in the country, I urge you to make sure that Congress adequately funds efforts to prepare for the 2020 Census. Many census advocates are concerned that the preparation and testing needed to make sure the Census accurately counts all Americans is falling short due to lack of funding. 

We should work to make sure that every North Carolinian is counted during the 2020 census so that our communities receive their fair share of federal resources. As your constituent, I urge you to do what you can to make sure that the Census Bureau’s needs are addressed as Congress moves through the federal budget process.

Sincerely, 

Contact Information

Senator Richard Burr -- 202-224-3154; Richard_Burr@burr.senate.gov

Senator Thom Tillis -- 202-224-6342; Thom_Tillis@tillis.senate.gov