The Sikh Coalition is proud to announce a formal partnership with the United States Census Bureau in advance of the 2020 census.
“The Sikh Coalition is partnering with the Census Bureau because Sikhs have traditionally been a ‘hard to count’ population in the United States,” said Satjeet Kaur, Sikh Coalition Executive Director.
“Our community matters, and we want to make sure that Sikh families are appropriately counted and accurately resourced wherever they are across our country.”
As a formal partner of the Census Bureau, the Sikh Coalition is committed to raising census awareness and participation among the Sikh community. Accordingly, our initial work around will focus on informing the community that completing census forms is simple, safe, and essential.
The census is a national headcount undertaken by the U.S. government every 10 years. The Census form asks a series of simple demographic questions about all members of each household in the nation.
Because an accurate count is the goal, the census never asks about citizenship; it is safe for everyone, regardless of their immigration status, to fill out the census. Data from the census ultimately determines how the government allocates resources for things like schools, hospitals, roads, and parks; where businesses choose to move and invest; and how legislative seats and electoral votes are allocated in our democracy.
In the lead-up to the mid-March mailing of initial census forms, the Sikh Coalition will recruit and train volunteers at gurdwaras across the country who will help community members submit their census information online in a safe and supportive environment. Those who are interested in assisting with this work should email community@sikhcoalition.org.
Throughout 2020, the Sikh Coalition will be launching new initiatives to increase Sikh American civic engagement. These efforts, including 2020 census and “Get Out The Vote” projects, build on nearly 20 years of work to raise Sikh awareness at the local, state, and federal levels of government.