State Rep. Hernandez Promoting Census Participation in Minority Communities

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, is calling on all state agencies to post information regarding Census participation in Spanish in clearly accessible areas to increase fair Census coverage in Spanish-speaking communities.

“The Census is about fair representation, and often Spanish-speaking communities get shortchanged on that representation because instructions for the census are inaccessible,” Hernandez said. “People need to be made aware of the importance of the Census and the need to get counted. If we want a system that works for everyone, we have to make sure everyone gets represented, and no one gets left behind.”

As part of her continued push for Census participation and equality, Hernandez introduced House Resolution 672, which calls on all state agencies to make census information available in Spanish where it is easily accessible. The Urban Institute projected 2020 to be an especially bad year for undercounting minority communities, with an estimated 2.2 million members of the Latino community potentially not getting counted.

“The dangers of undercounting this year as especially bad because of the unconscionable intimidation tactics used by the Trump administration to try and suppress the Latino and African American vote,” Hernandez said. “We need to send a message to Donald Trump that we are not going to stand by while he uses racist tactics to attack the basic constitutional rights of millions.”