Embracing the Theme ‘Count Black Youth – The Power is in Our Hands’ National Black Youth Vote Will Join Forces with National & State-Based Partner Organizations to Get out the Black Youth Count on April 27 – May 1, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC — To actively encourage Black youth to focus on being counted in the 2020 Decennial Census, despite the Coronavirus (COVID 19) global pandemic, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s (NCBCP) Black Youth Vote (BYV!) youth civic leadership and power-building program and its Unity Diaspora Coalition (UDC) 2020 Campaign’s national and state-based partner organizations will launch “#CountMeBlack Youth Census 2020 Week (Count Me Black Youth Week),” Monday, April 27 to Friday, May 1, 2020.
Count Me Black Youth Week will utilize social media, primarily Instagram, Twitter & Facebook, that includes online organizing and engagement activities—-designed to encourage Black youth (18 – 35) across the nation to be counted in the 2020 Decennial Census, with a special focus on Southern states and other states with a large Black population including: AL, FL, GA, MD, MI, MS, NC, OH, PA, VA and Washington, DC.
Holli Holliday, Esq., National Unity 2020 Campaign Manager, NCBCP shares, “The NCBCP, Black Youth Vote and our UDC Unity 2020 Partners are concerned that the Coronavirus pandemic is having a negative impact on the Black population being fairly counted in the 2020 Decennial Census, especially those that have historically been undercounted that includes Black children, men, immigrants, LGBTQ+ and seniors. Further, past undercounts have led to tens-of-millions of federal dollars being diverted away from hundreds of programs that support Black America. Being counted is especially imperative for the Black population.”
In spite of the severe challenges and obstacles currently posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, NCBCP’s Black Youth Vote leaders plan to use their collective resources and partnerships to actively motivate Black youth, especially Generation Z and Millennials, to step up and be counted in the 2020 Decennial Census. Says Darrell Coles, National BYV Project Coordinator/Intern, “Part of BVY’s mission is to train and educate African American youth and young adults to lead our civic engagement campaigns and to own our power to bring about the positive change we want to see for our communities; and being counted in the 2020 Census is part of that strategy.” Also, BWR/BYV Project Coordinator/Intern, Acacia Newsome, also shares “We believe social media is the most effective means of reaching our generation and utilizing our peers as the best influencers to encourage Black youth on the importance of being counted in the 2020 Decennial Census.”
