News 02.04.10

Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition Gains Momentum
Unprecedented Cooperation among 19 Iranian American Organizations

February 4, 2010 - The Iranians Count 2010 Census Project proudly announces the addition of Andisheh Center, Association of Iranian American Professionals of San Diego, Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats, Empowered Women United, Iranican, Iranian Studies Group at MIT, Persian Center , Persian Cultural Club and Persianesque Magazine to its list of coalition partners.

Now at 19 partners and counting, the coalition was formed to ensure maximum and consistent participation by Iranian Americans in the 2010 U.S. Census. The addition of these new organizations strengthens and expands the coalition’s outreach and penetration, providing it with more resources and a larger platform for educating Iranian Americans nationwide and encouraging their participation in the Census.

The census is a count of everyone living in the United States. This includes people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups, as well as both citizens and non-citizens. Like many ethnic groups, Iranian Americans have traditionally been undercounted; the 2000 Census count of our community was only 338,000. This is a problem as it undermines our access to a variety of social services. The only solution is for us to register our Iranian origin, and to be counted by the Census Bureau.

The Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition is taking a proactive role to try and ensure that our community’s statistics are accurately reflected and that it has access to key services and an enhanced political voice. With that in mind, the coalition has assembled an informational and instructional pamphlet, available both in English and Persian, to answer questions about the U.S. Census.

Simultaneously, the coalition is developing customized messaging and communication tools specific to the Iranian American population to be rolled out nationally over the coming weeks, to help raise awareness about the U.S. 2010 Census campaign among all of the Iranian American households and communities nationwide.

Stand Up and Be Counted

The Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition includes both national and regional Iranian American organizations that have united under the common objective of educating Iranian Americans about the 2010 Census. Specific goals of this project include reaching every Iranian American household in the country to educate them about the importance of participating in the 2010 Census, to assure them that the information provided to the Census Bureau will by law be confidential, and to urge them to respond to questions relating to race, ethnicity, and national origin in a consistent manner. In order to assure maximum outreach, the Census Coalition has hired full-time consultants to both reach out to the Iranian American community and coordinate with the U.S. Census.

For more information or to join the Iranians Count 2010 Census Project please contact any of the coalition partners.

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