CCF, City, Faith Leaders Partner on Census

Home Page Archive, published 1/19/10

Rev. Leonard B. Jackson, senior advisor to the mayor (l) and Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, executive director, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of California (r) addressed faith leaders about the census on Jan. 19.

The California Community Foundation (CCF) on Jan. 19 co-hosted a breakfast with the City of Los Angeles, the Office of Census 2010 and faith leaders in various communities to garner support around the upcoming census to ensure all Angelenos are counted.

“We are happy to be collaborating with the city, the census office as well as the faith-based community that are so integral in spreading the word to the most undercounted communities on why it matters to be counted,” CCF President and CEO Antonia Hernández. “As trusted leaders in their respective communities, faith leaders will be instrumental in reaching out to low-income and minority communities that have historically been severely undercounted."

"Ensuring an accurate count in Los Angeles challenges us to forge partnerships between government agencies, community groups and faith-based organizations," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. “The city is fully committed to working closely with CCF and our partners to educate and encourage the most undercounted communities to participate in the census.”

“There are many myths about the census that people in our communities believe. For example, there are people who believe that the government may misuse the information collected, that it takes too long and that it won’t make a difference in their lives,” said Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, executive director of the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of California (CLUE-CA). “As faith leaders, we know the people in our community and they trust us. We can help to clear up these myths and enable them to overcome their fears as well as provide the information they need to be counted.”

Faith leaders from African American, Korean American, Latino and Jewish communities – to name a few – all participated Tuesday to show support and drive home the importance of spreading the word on the census across all ethnic communities to ensure all are counted.

CCF in October 2009 granted $1.23 million to 12 nonprofits such as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Community Coalition and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles to outreach to the most undercounted communities around the importance of participating and being counted to receive federal funding.

Read more about why accurate census data is so important.

Read the press release.