This is the final week enumerators will count residents for the 2020 Census. Trillions of dollars in decisions on how to allocate resources over the next decade will be based on the count. The Trump administration imposed an unusually early deadline on the Census bureau despite the challenges of counting accurately amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Hard-to-reach populations such as low-income communities, people of color, Indigenous populations and immigrants are further behind in responding to the 2020 census than they were in 2010, and experts are concerned speeding up the timeline will make it harder to close the gap for those groups. Congress has the power to extend the Census Bureau's Dec. 31 deadline for a final count, though it is unclear whether this deadline is driving the decision to end enumerators' work on Sept. 30.
Take action: Remind everyone in your community to make sure they are counted, and why the Census matters.
Yesterday, a grand jury in Kentucky returned no charges against the police officers responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor. Three counts of "wanton endangerment" were brought against one officer on the scene for firing bullets into a neighboring apartment during the bungled raid that resulted in Taylor's death. Our communities have been rising up in grief and resistance in response to police violence all summer, and yesterday's developments further illustrated the need for accountability and defunding the police. Our new report, Beyond Policing, analyzes the failings of past police reforms and discusses how the movement to #DefundThePolice opens a pathway for solutions beyond police and punishment.
September 15 - October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the contributions made by Hispanic and Latinx Americans to the United States. Use this month to discuss Community, Opportunity, and Equality.
September is also Hunger Action Month and National Recovery Month
Birthdays, Anniversaries and Cultural Hooks:
September 24, 1789 - The first U.S. Congress passed the Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution enshrine many of the values we share as a nation.
September 28, 1829 - David Walker published the pamphlet, An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World. Walker circulated copies via underground networks to empower enslaved people throughout the South.
September 29, 2008 - The U.S. Stock Market crashed, contributing to the start of the Great Recession. It’s an important time to talk about how many communities and American families have yet to recover from the previous economic downturn, even as the pandemic downturn hit.
September 29, 1977 - The 1977 Food Stamp Act was signed, this law is the framework for the modern food stamp program — or, as it’s now known, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
September 30, 1996 - President Bill Clinton signed into law the "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.” Use this hook to talk about how the law criminalized thousands of people and led to the deportation of more than 4 million people.
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