The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour kicked off in Philadelphia at 8:00 AM on Jan. 4, at the Independence Center, between Market and Arch Street. The event was attended by the Mr. Fernando E. Armstrong, director Philadelphia Regional Census Center, the city mayor Michael Nutter, and elected officials for DC, PA, MA, as well as community leaders.
The tour is accompanied by 12 regional and 1 national vehicles. The vehicles will stop at high-profile celebrations, sporting and community events to reach the diverse U.S. population. Philadelphia’s vehicle was called “The Constitution” as a reminder that Philadelphia is the city where the first census was conducted in 1790, while it was the nation’s capital.
Ms. Lanette M. Swopes, partnership specialist and Road Tour producer, said, “The purpose of the 2010 Tour is to educate the public about the census, inspire interest in the process and encourage public participation. We take this opportunity to talk to people about why it is important to fill the forms.”
Part of the tour is interactive, according to Ms Swopes. Computer kiosks take pictures of the attendees, and attendees make testimonials about why the Census is important for them and their community. An important aspect of the tour is the informational display board that gives the reasons why each of the ten questions is asked in the census.
2010 Census is a short form with only ten questions, which will take ten minutes to fill out. This information will affect all communities for the next ten years because the Census help determine the allocation of federal funds for community services, such as senior citizen centers, school lunch programs, construction of highways and hospitals, Ms Swopes said. The census will also determine the number of seats each state will have in the US House of Representatives, and will impact distribution of data on social, economic, and cultural matters to the general public and governments worldwide.
Monica Davis, media specialist for the Philadelphia Regional Census Center said that “Every person from the U.S. should fill out the form, including undocumented persons; this is very important because undocumented persons still use services. The census does not ask about citizenship status, and all the Census information is confidential and not disclosed to other federal agencies and law enforcement entities, not even to the President. Every census employee took an oath of confidentiality. If information is disclosed, we can get up to 5 years imprisonment and up to $250,000 fine”.
Ms. Davis explained that some people are afraid because of the connotation of census in their country of origin: this is why they work with community leaders, people that are trusted by their community, to inform about the confidential aspect of the census. Also group quarters work with shelters, prisons, college campuses, and nursing homes. These partnership programs are key to the success of the 2010 Census.
Census questions will arrive mid March in the mail to more than 130 million homes. Forms should be sent back before April 1 and have to include all household members including any child born before that date.
The tour is accompanied by 12 regional and 1 national vehicles. The vehicles will stop at high-profile celebrations, sporting and community events to reach the diverse U.S. population. Philadelphia’s vehicle was called “The Constitution” as a reminder that Philadelphia is the city where the first census was conducted in 1790, while it was the nation’s capital.
Ms. Lanette M. Swopes, partnership specialist and Road Tour producer, said, “The purpose of the 2010 Tour is to educate the public about the census, inspire interest in the process and encourage public participation. We take this opportunity to talk to people about why it is important to fill the forms.”
Part of the tour is interactive, according to Ms Swopes. Computer kiosks take pictures of the attendees, and attendees make testimonials about why the Census is important for them and their community. An important aspect of the tour is the informational display board that gives the reasons why each of the ten questions is asked in the census.
2010 Census is a short form with only ten questions, which will take ten minutes to fill out. This information will affect all communities for the next ten years because the Census help determine the allocation of federal funds for community services, such as senior citizen centers, school lunch programs, construction of highways and hospitals, Ms Swopes said. The census will also determine the number of seats each state will have in the US House of Representatives, and will impact distribution of data on social, economic, and cultural matters to the general public and governments worldwide.
Monica Davis, media specialist for the Philadelphia Regional Census Center said that “Every person from the U.S. should fill out the form, including undocumented persons; this is very important because undocumented persons still use services. The census does not ask about citizenship status, and all the Census information is confidential and not disclosed to other federal agencies and law enforcement entities, not even to the President. Every census employee took an oath of confidentiality. If information is disclosed, we can get up to 5 years imprisonment and up to $250,000 fine”.
Ms. Davis explained that some people are afraid because of the connotation of census in their country of origin: this is why they work with community leaders, people that are trusted by their community, to inform about the confidential aspect of the census. Also group quarters work with shelters, prisons, college campuses, and nursing homes. These partnership programs are key to the success of the 2010 Census.
Census questions will arrive mid March in the mail to more than 130 million homes. Forms should be sent back before April 1 and have to include all household members including any child born before that date.
