To Count Everyone

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the Census. As in our decennial Census. As in that extremely important survey that comes around every 10 years and determines state representation in Congress and the distribution of federal funds.

I had the absolute honor and privilege to work on the 2020 Census for three years (yep, three) and this girl is now a Census nerd for life.

And so, it’s grievously troubling to see the proposed rule that the Census Bureau released on September 9 that would dramatically change the conduct of the 2030 Census.

This proposed rule would change the Census to include only U.S. citizens and permanent residents; this is an unprecedented exclusion of non-U.S. citizens without a green card and goes against centuries of constitutional tradition and law in the U.S. (see the 14th Amendment and the language around “counting the whole number of persons in each State”).

The proposed changes would also eliminate parts of the questionnaire that seek information on race or ethnicity, which have been included since the very first count in 1790.

If these changes are implemented for 2030, they will have enormous political consequences. Think apportionment, population data, federal funds for states, and more.

If you’d like to make your voice heard in all of this, please know the public has until October 13 to submit comments.

The proposed changes are already facing legal challenges. We’ll see where it all goes. And of course, a new presidential administration in 2029 could reverse any Census changes happening now.

A fair and accurate Census is critical. We use Census data to make political decisions, business decisions, funding decisions, healthcare decisions, community decisions — basically all the decisions that keep us moving forward.

We have to protect this most crucial tool for identifying community needs, promoting social equity, and fostering civic engagement.

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

p.s. — Still haven’t done anything about my Word It Out graphic up top. Still says “Sarah at Mission Up.” Still on the to do list for next time. Same with my footer below. 😉 

First time reading this newsletter, Word It Out? Subscribe here for a regular roundup of things I’m thinking about.

📽️ A NEW DOCUMENTARY TO WATCH

The nonprofit World Within has recently launched a 10-part documentary series that explores social entrepreneurship. The first two episodes are out now on YouTube — and the imagery is beautiful.

How to Change the World features leaders across business, investing, culture, and public service. Some of the leaders you may recognize include: Acumen founder Jacqueline Novogratz, former Malala Fund CEO and Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid, entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and NYU Stern professor and podcast host Scott Galloway.

I’m looking forward to watching all of these episodes with my kids — and feeling inspired from it all.

📲 TECHNOLOGY AND DISASTER IN NEPAL

No doubt you’ve seen the devastating images coming out of Nepal in the past couple of weeks. Since that catastrophic flooding, there has been an outpouring of donations from across the world. Many of the donations have gone to international NGOs — but also to Nepal’s own Prime Minister’s Disaster Fund, made possible thanks to the Nepalese government’s adoption of digital payment technology.

Previously in Nepal, potential donors would have to go to a bank to make a charitable donation. Not so now — they simply have to scan a QR code. Nepalis living abroad (and international donors as well) can contribute without traditional bank transfers.

So far, the Fund has raised about $80M and is moving money quickly to flood victims.

Fascinating, and really, really good.

🫍 ORCAS WHO…SING

I kind of don’t know what to say about Orcas’ Greatest Hits except…it’s wild? Literally.

Jim Nollman is a sound artist and naturalist who has dedicated his practice to playing music with non-human animals. His life’s work is music with orcas, in a place he calls Orcananda in British Columbia. Nollman would play music atop a boat, and curious orcas approached the underwater recording studio, below the boat, and “sing” along.

Over 13 years, Nollman collected about 60 hours of tape, which are now part of the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

I just find this special and moving, in its own way.

💘 NONPROFIT LOVE

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights was founded in 1950 by A. Philip Randolph, head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Roy Wilkins of the NAACP; and Arnold Aronson, a leader of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council.

This incredible organization lobbied for and won the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The Leadership Conference also helped to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963.

Today, The Leadership Conference remains our country’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition, committed to the protection and advancement of civil and human rights for every person in the U.S.

And it should come as no surprise to you that this organization does a ton of work around the Census. For more ways to get involved or take action on a variety of issues, click here.