More than 200 Elected and Appointed Officials Push for a Fair and Accurate 2020 Census

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shin Inouye, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, [email protected], 202.869.0398
Contact: Kevin Perez-Allen, NALEO Educational Fund, [email protected], 202.546.2536

LOS ANGELES – The Leadership Conference Education Fund’s Census Counts Campaign and NALEO Educational Fund hosted a press conference today featuring state and local elected and appointed officials who are working to raise public awareness about the importance of the 2020 Census and its impact on the allocation of resources in communities across the country.

More than 200 officials have joined “Census Champions,” a network of state, local, and tribal elected and appointed officials committed to a fair and accurate count, including those from communities considered hard-to-count.

The Education Fund, Census Counts, and NALEO Educational Fund are working together to inform, engage, and mobilize state, local, appointed and elected officials nationwide in advance of the 2020 Census.

“State and local elected officials have a critical role to play in getting out the count in their communities.” said Jheanelle Wilkins, director of state & local government affairs, The Leadership Conference Education Fund. “We launched Census Champions to provide resources, information, and materials for use by state and local elected officials as they lead and support census efforts in the communities they represent.”

“We cannot afford to have millions of Latinos and other Americans missed in the nation’s decennial count,” said Lizette Escobedo, Director of National Census Program, NALEO Educational Fund. “An inaccurate count of the nation’s second largest population group would mean a failed census, which is why our ¡Hágase Contar! campaign to ensure a full count of the Latino community is so crucial. We are proud to partner with the ‘Census Champions’ program and elected and appointed officials from across the country to lead on this very important issue.”

“Los Angeles is a city of belonging, where everyone’s voice matters and everybody counts,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “When all Angelenos participate in the 2020 Census, we can get the representation we deserve in Washington and the resources we need in L.A. to support our families’ health, our students’ education, and our residents’ future.”

The Leadership Conference Education Fund builds public will for federal policies that promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. The Education Fund’s campaigns empower and mobilize advocates around the country to push for progressive change in the United States. It was founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. For more information on The Education Fund, visit civilrights.org/edfund/.

More information about The Education Fund’s Census Counts Campaign is available at censuscounts.org.

NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit, non-partisan organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

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