Have You Sent In Your Census?

“We can’t move forward, until we get it back….” —2010 Census

I know most of you have seen the commercial on television. When I visited New York last month, the subways were filled with advertisements about the census in every language imaginable. Seeing all of the ads made me realize just how important the census is. When I completed my first census in 2000, I wasn’t even told what it was going to be used for. I had no idea of the ramifications. This time, I do.

Simply put, funding for programs is based on the amount of people living in an area. In order to know the population of an area, you must perform a census. This helps know about the population, services needed , money needed, etc.

There are those who think the census is some type of “Big Brother” approach to government. To those that say that, I urge them to do their research. The census is not a new project, it has been done since the 19th Century. Geneology sites such as Ancestry.com use census information in order to help connect family ties and complete family trees. The information on the census is helpful in many instances.

I received my census last month and sent it off right away. The fact that is stated Negro, African American did not deter me from completing that. If we are going to be mad at the term Negro being on the census, we should also be mad at the United NEGRO College Fund. Or what about the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP). I think it’s absolutely a waste of time to be upset at the term Negro. The other N word? Yes, that is repulsive.

For those of you that have not completed your census, you may be receiving a visitor soon. The 2010 Census is sending out their employees to go door-to-door in order to retrieve the information needed starting today.

Have you completed your census?