Adhikaar’s Census 2020

What is the Census? Why is it important to participate?

Watch the Tibetan version of this video here

The Census is a survey conducted every 10 years, which is a count of every person living in the United States regardless of age, immigration status, or disability. 

If you complete the 2020 census you, your family and community wins for the next 10 years! With accurate Census numbers, we can get quality hospital and health services, more budget for our schools, school lunches and child care. We can also then advocate for more affordable housing, better transportation, services in our language, more budget for senior citizen centers and jobs, training and English language classes for everyone. 

Watch the Tibetan version of this video here

Participating in the census helps determine things like:

  • Nepali and Tibetan language translators in immigration court,
  • Resources in Nepali and Tibetan at all health centers and hospitals in New York City,
  • How many books and computers your kids’ school can afford, and
  • How money is allocated to fix your communities’ public spaces.

Ensuring an accurate census will also help make sure your community is properly represented in Congress, state legislatures, and even city and county councils and local school boards. When communities are missed in the census, they lose out on funding, resources, and equal political representation — everyone deserves to be counted.

The census questionnaire is now live online and you can fill it out now: my2020census.gov

By mid-March 2020, the Census Bureau will send your household a notice by mail on how to respond online. You should complete the census by April 1, 2020. ONE person from your household completes the census for everyone in your household. In May, if you have not yet completed the census, the Census Bureau will send out people to knock on your door to complete it.

Watch the Tibetan version of this video here

How do I fill it out?

  • Online: For the first time, you will be able to complete your census form online (see above link). Most households will receive a letter inviting them to respond online, with a unique household ID and the web address of the official Census Bureau website. 
  • In-person: If you would like assistance in Nepali or Tibetan, you can also come to our community center in Woodside, Queens to fill out the form online. We will have staff and volunteers to assist you.
  • By phone: You can call the Census Questionnaire Assistance phone line to ask questions and to respond to the census by phone. 
  • By paper form: Some homes – about one in five – will receive a paper form in the first mailing, but you can also call the Census Questionnaire Assistance phone line to request a paper form if preferred. 

Why should I fill out Nepali or Tibetan?

We understand that everyone identifies differently, according to ethnic group, religion, etc. But for the goal of our Census campaign is to make sure we can get city and state services in NEPALI and TIBETAN languages. In order for this to happen, we need to make sure that on question number nine, you fill out Nepali or Tibetan. 

Here’s the link to all the 2020 U.S. Census PSA videos in Nepali and Tibetan.

What is Adhikaar’s Census Campaign? How is it different than other organizations working on Census?

There are several other Nepali and Tibetan organizations working on Census with their members, and we encourage this. The more of us that are working on Census, the more people in our community will be counted. However, Adhikaar’s campaign is unique in that our goals are different. Under the “Asian-Other” option (see picture below), we recommend people to fill out Nepali or Tibetan under “Race”. This is because our goal is to ensure that we have an accurate count of Nepali-speakers in NYC and across the country. With this more accurate number, we will be able to access resources, funding and more services in the languages we need.

Fill out the 2020 Census online at my2020census.gov

Learn more about our campaign on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/adhikaar for regular updates.