Getting a Seat at the Table

For years, members of minority groups in America were given the crumbs that fell from the table and they rightly complained that they were underrepresented in the halls of power and excluded from having a seat at the table.

Census 2020 supporters are urging everyone to participate in the census and let their voices count.

Newly released Census 2020 data shows that as of April 24, 2020, San Mateo County, with a self-response rate of 62.9%, ranks as the number one county in California, in having the most residents who have submitted their Census 2020 questionnaire. Even California’s statewide response rate is 54.2%

Two San Mateo County cities, Hillsborough and San Carlos, both with a response rate of 72.1%, rank among the top 10 cities with the highest response rates.

Guess which cities in the state have the lowest response rates. If you guessed that East Palo Alto is among them, then you’re right. East Palo Alto has a response rate of 47.1%

The city ranks just under Compton at 47.6% under Watsonville at 49.3 and under Bell, which has a response rate of 45%.

East Palo Alto also ranks under southern states like Alabama (51.1%) Georgia (49.6), Mississippi (49.4) and Florida (50.8%), which all fall under the national response rate that is 52.8%. See more rankings at https://2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html

If the residents of East Palo Alto want to have a seat at the table, then they will have to participate where their voices can be heard, whenever the opportunity arises. Participating in Census 2020 is one of those opportunities. If people feel that as a group they are pushed aside by the system and treated as if they don’t count, then it is critical that they step up, present themselves, demand their seat and pull back the chair at the table. Census 2020 allows everyone to present themselves and demand a seat

Doesn’t it make sense, then, for all of us to respond to the census as quickly as possible? In being counted and in allowing ourselves to be seen and heard, we can demand our fair representation in the halls of  power and get the seats to which we are entitled. In being counted, our communities will get the money that they deserve.

So, submit your Census 2020 response now, if you haven’t already done so. East Palo Alto can be among the cities with the highest Census 2020 response rates and you can help make that happen.