NYC Census 2020 Releases New PSA Featuring Multi-Platinum, Award Winning Rapper Cardi B Urging New Yorkers to Fill Out the Census
New York City officials encourage all New Yorkers to take the census from their home today by visiting my2020census.gov or by calling one of 15 different phone lines
NEW YORK - NYC Census 2020 today released a new public service announcement featuring multi-platinum, award winning rapper and native New Yorker, Cardi B, calling on New Yorkers to fill out the 2020 Census at this critical time for the City and the country. The PSA features Cardi B emphasizing how the census is safe, easy to fill out, and vital for New Yorkers to make their voices heard and their communities counted, and touting the online options for filling out the census. The PSA will run as 30 and 60 second English and Spanish language spots on TV and digitally throughout New York City.
Given the spread of COVID-19, the NYC Census 2020 campaign is focused on encouraging New Yorkers to self-respond to the census now. If New Yorkers take a few minutes to self-respond now from the safety and security of their own homes, they will avoid a knock on their door during the door-to-door enumeration period over the summer.
"Every New Yorker should listen to Cardi B and take a few minutes to fill out the Census right away, either via phone or online," said Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020. "When you take a few minutes to fill out the census, you make sure that your community in New York City is counted and that it receives its fair share of critical resources for children's health insurance, hospitals, senior centers, and more. While the U.S. Census Bureau has delayed their field outreach by two weeks, by filling out the census now, you are ensuring that no Census Bureau workers will need to visit your home later this summer."
"2020 is a huge opportunity to make our voices heard. This year, we have the power to decide our city's future not just for the next four years but for the next ten," Cardi B says in the new PSA. "The Census is about power, money, and respect for our communities. If our city is undercounted, we risk being underrepresented, especially our communities of color."
The census is now more accessible than ever, and it can be completed without leaving the home or coming into contact with any other person. The census determines whether New York City receives its fair share of hundreds of billions distributed by the federal government every year for important programs and services. The census also leads to direct investments in New York City's health care system. For example, census data determines allocations for funding for CHIP and hospitals. What's more, it's how public health officials get the foundational data that public health experts use to plan for and manage situations like COVID-19.
The more New Yorkers who fill out the census, the more money the city receives for schools, hospitals, transportation, job training, and so much more. The census also determines each state's fair share of representation in Congress, as well as how local, state, and federal legislative district lines are drawn, meaning the power of New York City's voice in Washington, D.C., and Albany is also based on the census.
New Yorkers can fill out the census at my2020census.gov or via 15 different phone lines:
- English
844-330-2020 - Spanish
844-468-2020 - Mandarin
844-391-2020 - Cantonese
844-398-2020 - Vietnamese
844-461-2020 - Korean
844-392-2020 - Russian
844-417-2020 - Arabic
844-416-2020 - Tagalog
844-478-2020 - Polish
844-479-2020 - French
844-494-2020 - Haitian Creole
844-477-2020 - Portuguese
844-474-2020 - Japanese
844-460-2020 - Telephone Display Device (TDD)
844-467-2020
About NYC Census 2020
NYC Census 2020 is a first-of-its-kind organizing initiative established by Mayor de Blasio in January 2019 to ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census. The $40 million program is built on four pillars: (1) a $19 million community-based awards program, The New York City Complete Count Fund, empowering 157 community-based organizations to engage historically undercounted communities around the 2020 Census; (2) an in-house "Get Out the Count" field campaign supported by the smart use of cutting-edge data and organizing technology, and a volunteer organizing program to promote a complete count in each of the city's 245 neighborhoods; (3) an innovative, multilingual, tailored messaging and marketing campaign, including a $3 million commitment to investing in community and ethnic media to reach every New York City community; as well as (4) an in-depth Agency and Partnerships engagement plan that seeks to leverage the power of the City's 350,000-strong workforce and the city's major institutions, including libraries, hospitals, faith-based communities, cultural institutions, higher educational institutions, and more, to communicate with New Yorkers about the critical importance of census participation. Through close partnerships with trusted leaders and organizations across the five boroughs, this unprecedented campaign represents the largest municipal investment in census organizing nationwide and will build an enduring structure that empowers New Yorkers to remain civically engaged.