Op-Ed: Every Person Counts | Why the Census Must Be Rescued
This article was originally published as “Every Person Counts: Why the Census Must Be Rescued,” by Gary D. Bass, Antonia Hernández, Barbara Picower, and Darren Walker in The Chronicle of Philanthropy in July 2018.
Excerpt
Protecting democratic institutions and values is a crucial mission for philanthropy. That means expanding voting rights, making representation more inclusive, connecting impoverished communities with the resources they need, and so much more. But none of that happens without protecting a fundamental pillar of democracy: the census.
Every decade since 1790, the government has counted the American population, as required by the Constitution. While it took the 14th Amendment to ensure that all people were counted equally, the census has nonetheless performed an essential role in maintaining and improving our democracy. Today, our country uses census data to apportion congressional representation; to draw federal, state, and local legislative districts; and to enforce civil-rights laws…
