Asian American Justice Center Launches Census 2010 Website
NEW YORK – In leading the effort to ensure that Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians are accurately counted in the upcoming census, the Asian American Justice Center and its partners launched a Web site to serve as a clearinghouse for census materials aimed at AAPI communities.
Asian American Federation Executive Director, Cao O says “the Fill in Our Future website is an unprecedented effort to improve collaboration and sharing among Asian American communities nationwide. It has a wealth of helpful information and I urge community organizations to utilize the website to better reach their community members. I can’t stress enough how crucial it is that we have a complete count of Asian Americans in this census. “
Part of the Fill in Our Future campaign, www.fillinourfuture.org provides information translated into 25 languages, public service announcements, videos, brochures and educational materials to help with community outreach. The site brings all the information to a central location so that communities across the country can readily access, download and use the information for census outreach without duplicating efforts, thereby reaching even more AAPIs before Census Day, April 1.
At www.fillinourfuture.org one can find: questions asked on the census form, frequently asked questions; the impact on your family and your community; confidentiality of responses, details about questions regarding race, ethnicity and faith; where to get help; a census timeline; and organizing around census. Materials are available in: Bengali, Chamorro, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Chuukese, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Marshallese, Nepali, Punjabi, Samoan, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Tongan, Urdu and Vietnamese.
The Fill in Our Future campaign is the first from AAPI Action, www.appiaction.org, which is a resource center for up-to-date information about the needs, concerns and successes of the Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities. Last year AAJC, the Asian American Federation, the Asian American Institute, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and the Asian Pacific Fund, created a national network of community-based organizations focused on achieving an accurate census, particularly in regards to counting AAPIs.
Like many minorities, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians, including recent immigrants and people with limited English skills, are among the most likely to be missed by the census. The campaign strives to decrease the chances of the communities being undercounted during the 2010 Census through effective community outreach and education. The campaign provides technical assistance and training to local partners and nonprofits. It also coordinates a network of more than 50 organizations dedicated to reaching AAPIs through materials dissemination, workshops and trainings.
AAJC is administering grants to 29 groups in 21 states to bolster these activities. For more information please visit www.fillinourfuture.org. Additionally, the Federation will be granting almost 30 agencies in four states in the Northeastern region to reinforce census outreach efforts in the community.
The Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org) is a national organization dedicated to defending and advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans. It works closely with three affiliates – the Asian American Institute of Chicago (www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) in San Francisco and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) in Los Angeles – and 102 community partners in 47 cities and 25 states in the country.
Established in 1989, the Asian American Federation (www.aafederation.org) is a nonprofit umbrella organization of over 40 community service agencies. The Federation’s mission is to advance the civic voice and well-being of Asian Americans. Our areas of focus include health & human services, education, economic opportunity, civic participation, social justice, and strengthening community nonprofits.
CONTACT: Sonja Choi
2123445878, Ext:23
sonja.choi@aafederation.org
