NEA kicks off “We Count” campaign to promote participation in 2020 census

WASHINGTON - January 30, 2020 -

The National Education Association today launched the “We Count” campaign, kicking off a major effort to promote participation in the 2020 census through the activation of NEA’s 3 million members engaging their communities on the importance of the once-in-a-decade process mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

“Educators know that the 2020 census will do more than simply count every person living in the United States. The census makes visible the strength of our communities, which includes every student, parent, and family in our country. An accurate census is key to getting our public schools and communities the resources they need to serve all students—regardless of where they live, what language they speak at home, or whether they are black, brown, or white. And it will be used to divide the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among states, and redraw legislative and school board districts around the country. That is why we are kicking off an effort today to activate NEA’s 3 million members—the educators and public employees across our nation who are the trusted voices in their communities—to reassure others that participation in the census is safe, important, and necessary,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

Specifically, as part of the “We Count” campaign, NEA:

• Has launched a webpage dedicated to providing educators with resources to help ensure their communities are counted, which can be found at NEA.org/census.
• Will run targeted digital ads encouraging participation in the census. Is distributing toolkits to NEA members, which include census-themed posters for classrooms, offices, schools, and campuses, along with other materials to educate students, families and communities on the importance of the 2020 census.
      
• Will continue working with community partners to promote participation and ensure a complete and accurate count.
• Has encouraged members to continue the decades-long partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau and educators by participating in the Statistics in Schools.