The Fourth National Phone Briefing in Our Co-sponsored Series:

"Philanthropy’s Role in Ensuring a Fair and Accurate 2010 Census Count"

Speakers:

• Terri Ann Lowenthal, Funder Census Initiative

• Nina Perales, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

• Anita Earls, Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Moderator:

• Thomasina Williams, Ford Foundation

Join us for Census and Redistricting: Power by the Numbers to hear experts and advocates discuss the importance of the 2010 Census to redistricting and the importance of redistricting to representative democracy. This fourth phone briefing in the series Philanthropy's Role in Ensuring a Fair and Accurate 2010 Census Count will provide participants with an update on recent census developments and a 101 introduction to the redistricting process, timeline and issues.

The data gathered from the 2010 Census will provide a comprehensive snapshot of thousands of local communities across the United States and will be used to determine the yearly distribution of over $400 billion dollars in federal funding. Additionally, government agencies, the private sector and non-profit groups will assess trends and develop programs based on the Decennial Census numbers, and these same numbers will underlie the reapportionment of political representation, helping determine everything from Congressional and state legislative district boundaries to school board districts and voting precincts.

As a snapshot, however, the decennial census has historically undercounted marginalized populations, specifically people of color and low-income communities, as well as children, especially those under the age of 10. And for the 2010 Census, the challenges of achieving a complete and accurate count are particularly daunting -- from an increase in hard to count populations, due to both migration trends as well as current economic conditions, to the current underfunding of 2010 Census preparation at the federal, state and local levels.

Register Online

Recommended Resource on Redistricting:  A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting, Brennan Center