Family Focus

Census caravan goes on the road to count Latino neighbors in Charlotte

ENLACE and MeckCuenta2020 are inviting Latino neighbors and advocates to join them on a Census Caravan.

They will be driving through neighborhoods in the southwest part of Charlotte that have been recording low census response rates.

All cars joining them will be given a gift card, and at the end of the route one car will be awarded an additional gift card.

ENLACE acts as a bridge between members, the Latino community, and the greater community of Charlotte-Mecklenburg to identify needs, create collaborations and promote unity among its members. Within ENLACE, organizations target issues of importance that need immediate and long-term attention in the Latino community.

“It is essential for the Latinx community to participate in the Census 2020, because as a growing population, the data compiled from the Census will help organizations both locally and federally determine how best to support the community,” said Maura E. Chavez, community coordinator for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations.

The caravan is scheduled for June 24 at 2 p.m. at Compare Foods at the intersection of Arrowood and Nations Ford Road. Text 704-451-6148 or email enlacecharlotte@gmail.com to confirm your participation.

These data are also used to evaluate government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of the Hispanic population and to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination laws, regulations, and policies.

Though many respondents expect to see a Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish category on the race question, this question is asked separately because people of Hispanic origin may be of any race(s).

Ethnicity data help communities and ensure equal opportunity.

The U.S. Census Bureau asks about the Hispanic or Latino origin of community members in combination with information about housing, voting, language, employment, and education, to help governments and communities enforce anti-discrimination laws, regulations, and policies.

For example, data on the Hispanic population are used to:

  • Establish and evaluate the guidelines for federal affirmative action plans under the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program.
  • Monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act and enforce bilingual election requirements.
  • Monitor and enforce equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Identify segments of the population that may not be getting needed medical services under the Public Health Service Act.
  • Allocate funds to school districts for bilingual services under the Bilingual Education Act.

Researchers, advocacy groups, and policymakers are interested in knowing whether people of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin have the same opportunities in education, employment, voting, and homeownership.

The National Science Foundation uses these data to provide information on the Hispanic population in the science and engineering workforce.

Several federal agencies use these data to investigate whether housing or transportation improvements have unintended consequences for the Hispanic population.

Data on the Hispanic population are used with age and language data to address language and cultural diversity needs in health care plans for the older population.

The question about a person’s ethnicity originated with the 1970 Census. It was added to the American Community Survey in 2005 when it replaced the decennial census long form.

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