ATLANTA — It’s one of the fastest-growing populations in the state, but remains one of the most undercounted communities. That’s why non-profits in the area are teaming up to reach the Asian-American community about the 2020 census.
The census cards go out in March, and the nonprofits said the data from the census helps with many initiatives that’ll last for the next decade, involving millions of dollars in government funding.
Victoria Huynh, Vice President of the "Center for Pan Asian Community Services," helps amplify Asian-American voices in Atlanta.
"We have such a thriving Asian-American community here in the south that people often don’t recognize," she said.
To help reflect that, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services is pushing awareness of the 2020 census with its “AAPI Complete Count Committee," aimed at the diverse Asian population.
"In 2010, in just watching what happened the census bureau, we know that there were a lot of gaps, maybe a lot of resources that didn’t land in our communities," Huynh told 11Alive.
Their partners at “Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta” said those resources and funding are critical.
The 2010 Census showed at least 30 percent growth in the Asian-American population in nearly every state. In Georgia, it grew by 83 percent.
"2020 is a really important time to capture that information, especially as those cities continue to grow and plan for that growth," said Karuna Ramachandran, the Deputy Director of "Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta."
For them, planning starts with making sure people know the difference they can make through the census.
"Our job is to share that with our communities," Huynh explained.
Because these organizations said the Asian population itself is so diverse in Georgia, the website can be accessed through nearly 20 different languages.
They’ve partnered with nearly 30 groups across the state to get the word out about the census.
Click here to get to the website.
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