Bay Area
Opinion: Census Data Won’t Be Used Against You: A Call for Refugees and Immigrant Families to Participate
The goal of the census survey, administered by U.S. Census Bureau, is designed to make certain that everyone living in America is represented as part of our democracy, whether native-born, an immigrant or a refugee.
It’s time to exercise your power as a Black person in America.
Every household will receive instructions in the mail on how to complete your census questionnaire in March of 2020. Millions of dollars in public funding depend on the participation of the people living in this country.
You will not be asked whether you are a citizen of the United States on the census. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that option out in June of 2019. All of your information will be confidential. Federal agencies like the FBI, HHS, IRS or immigration services cannot access census data.
When you respond to the survey, the data collected will help your community secure money for federally funded programs like Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, school lunch programs, Section 8 housing vouchers, programs for seniors and disabled veterans, and unemployment benefits.
Following the 2010 census, more than 300 federally-funded programs relied on census data to determine where and how to distribute resources.
We, at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, are asking that members of the collective American journey, whether immigrant, refugee or native-born, take 10 minutes of their free time to complete the U.S. census for themselves and family members. Everyone living in the residence should be accounted for.
BAJI is a part of a group of more than 30 grassroots organizations, called My Black Counts — headquartered in California, which have bonded together and are calling on communities of color to participate in the 2020 census survey.
My Black Counts is a new hub of politically-conscious and community-forward organizers and activists working to celebrate the unique individuality of the Black experience in America.
BAJI strives to fight for immigrant policies and to uplift the causes of economic justice and social justice. We need to know where you are and how many family members we should be fighting for. The census helps them do that.
Whether permanent or temporary, every resident living in an American home on April 1, 2020, should be counted in next year’s survey.
Follow @MyBlackCounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for updates, or sign-up to get involved on our website: https://myblackcounts.org/
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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