Press
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT INFORMATION NBCSL
Gabrielle King
770-389-1437
GABRIELLEKING@GDKASSOCIATESLLC.COM
(BPRW) NBCSL CALLS ON LEGISLATORS TO LEAD EFFORT IN FINAL PHASE OF
2010 CENSUS (BLACK PR WIRE) WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The
National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) announced today
a new initiative to assist its members in leading the last outreach
efforts during this final phase of the 2010 Census. The federal governments
door-to-door canvassing has ended. Communities have precious little
time remaining to get their last holdouts counted.
Billions
of dollars will be lost in our communities where resources
are needed the most unless we reach the hardest of the Hard-to-Count
population, said NBCSL President Calvin Smyre. NBCSL is
calling on its members to ramp up their final stretch of outreach
activities between now and mid-August.
The
goal of NBCSLs Census Project, funded by the Ford Foundation,
is to reduce the near certain undercount by assisting legislators
in reaching those Hard-to-Count constituents. The greatest undercounts
among members districts have been projected in New York, Florida
and Illinois followed by Georgia, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, Pennsylvania,
Mississippi and North Carolina. For that reason, the Census Project
wishes to concentrate its technical support on NBCSL legislators from
those states, although it will be available for all members.
This
project is ambitious, and we are asking legislators to roll up their
sleeves and pitch in over the next few weeks to make sure their community
members get fully counted, said President Smyre. To that end,
the Census Project has staff trained in demographics and community
outreach available by phone and online to support legislators. The
website, www.census2010.nbcsl.org, features tools for legislators
as well as targeting maps. The Census Project will also mail posters
to legislators so that they can blitz community locations
such as day labor sites, beauty salons and daycare centers.
NBCSL
Executive Director LaKimba DeSadier stated, Our legislators
are the best ones to lead census efforts in this last leg of the race
against time. They know their communities better than anyone, and
we have no doubt they will be able to reach those who have been left
out.
To
find out what you as a legislator can do, please call the hotline
at 1-800-781-0251 or e-mail census staff at info.census2010@nbcsl.org.
ABOUT
THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS (NBCSL)
The
National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is a membership
association representing over 600 African American state legislators
hailing from 42 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
The NBCSL members represent more than 50 million Americans of various
racial backgrounds. The NBCSL monitors federal and state activity
and provides this information to its members through policy symposiums
and conferences. Each year, NBCSL members pass policy resolutions
that directly impact federal and state policy. The organization focuses
on issues that directly impact US domestic policy and is committed
to policies that positively affect all Americans.
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