By Birgitta S. Damon

There is so much happening in our city, in our country right now. Racial injustice, an election that divides us and the daily devastation the COVID-19 pandemic brought into our world. Somewhere in between what we have come to know as our day-to-day life, Census 2020 arrived. It is hard to find the energy to plan into the future; I see it, I truly understand it, but there is simply no underestimating the power of the census. 

Here is what the census does: It takes the data collected every 10 years and allocates funds to improve schools, social services, medical facilities, roads and bridges, housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and so much more. 

When we fail to prioritize the census, we are turning our backs on critical funding for our city. Each individual counted in the census represents $2,400 every year for 10 years. Think of the census as your personal financial investment in your community, without ever opening your wallet. 

The census has been a hot button issue in the news, but it is not a new concept. Data has been collected on cities and towns in the United States for 230 years. The census comes around every 10 years to get a sense of the needs of a community; it is not a new device employed to harm low-income residents or recent immigrants. 

LEO (Leading through Empowering Opportunities) has been at the forefront of the census count for the better part of two years. The immigrant community is a beloved part of our village. We would never support or endorse something that would bring harm to a community we have worked to elevate for more than 55 years. 

You can trust the census. There are no citizenship questions on the census. 

Ten years ago, Lynn was second to last in all of Massachusetts for census data collection. We have suffered as a community for our failure to be counted. This time around it is different. We have worked each day for over a year to push the census. We have met groups in person, called and walked citizens through the process, dropped signs and literature to local businesses, connected with people on social media, even stepped up to the pulpit in local churches to preach the census! This effort will be well worth it if we can reach a full count for Lynn. 

As leader of a community action agency, I implore you: take the 10 minutes, to answer 10 questions, to solidify funding for Lynn over the next 10 years. You count, so be counted.

Birgitta S. Damon is the Chief Executive Officer of LEO Inc. – Leading through Empowering Opportunities.

The Census Bureau on Wednesday announced census information collection will end on Friday, Oct. 16, 5:59 a.m.