At the UW Tacoma Library, we try to bring issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion to the foreground through our displays, and we were working on a display for the U.S. Census right before campus closed under the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate. In order to continue to bring this information to you, we have a digital collection of resources about the census and its importance. Check it out, and then fill out your census form online!

These are not normal times, but taking ten minutes to fill out the census will determine the allocation of resources for the next ten years. In fact, the UW Tacoma Center for Applied Urban Research and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation determined that a 10% undercount in Pierce county would result in $750,000 less in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. It also informs transportation and health care planning.

Communities concerned with equity and inclusion are promoting the census, including The National LGBTQ Task Force Queer the Census, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Hágase contar, the NAACP, and the National Congress of American Indians initiatives.

You have access to U.S. Census data and it’s 5 year interim, the American Community Survey, through free (Census Reporter), and UW provided (Social Explorer, ProQuest Statistical Insight) databases.