The Changing American Portrait

Count on Your Census

We launched this podcast to tell the story of the 2020 Census. It starts with the U.S. Census Bureau and its unassailable role in collecting population data and ends, until next decade, with the just deployment of federal funding and political representation. Census data paints a portrait of a changing America and directs us in how to meet their specific needs and circumstances. In our final episode, Advancing Justice-AAJC President John C. Yang reflects on the Census 2020 experience, from anti-immigrant power grabs by then President Trump to the pandemic that devastated communities already at risk of being undercounted. John shares his vision for Census 2030, from greater data disaggregation to the depoliticization of the process. John gives credit where credit is due. He applauds the Census Bureau’s devoted civil servants, teachers, librarians, on-the-ground nonprofits and his many partners in a growing civil rights movement. As we wrap season 2 of “Count on Your Census,” John C. Yang encourages us all to remain engaged from participating in local elections to redistricting. This is how democracy rises.