Census taps teens to spread the word

A quick look around Minnesota’s state demographer’s office made clear that teens are a prime target for messages promoting next month’s national Census. Why else would the boxes of Census trinkets include Frisbees, lunch satchels and miniature basketballs?

Late last Friday, when ThreeSixty reporters Mariah Davis and Grace Pastoor sat down with State Demographer Tom Gillaspy, he explained that teens are valuable for informing parents – particularly immigrant parents – about the importance and confidentiality of the Census.

What can seem like an arcane topic is profoundly important. Hundreds of billions in federal funds are distributed based on Census numbers. So are seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to Gillaspy, the difference of 1,100 people in the Census could decide whether Minnesota gives up its 8th Congressional seat to Missouri. Because this once-a-decade nose count is so important, Minnesota decided to produce instructional materials in Hmong and Somali – targeting some of the state’s newest immigrants.

It was fascinating to hear Grace, Mariah and two Somali teens who joined them ask their questions. One of the Somali students asked about an alleged undercount of Somali Minnesotans in 2000 but acknowledged that mistrust of government might make some Somalis reluctant to answer this year’s Census questionnaire.

Mariah asked whether it makes sense to continue measuring race at a time when the mixed-race population is of the fastest-growing segments.

“Good question,” Gillaspy said. Collecting information about race can perpetuate racial stereotypes, he said, but it also enables researchers to discover patterns of discrimination.

Then he explained that racial categories used in the national Census have shifted dramatically over time, reflecting the social usage of the day rather than some fixed definition of race.

From 1790 to 1850, for example, the only broad categories for which data were published were White and Black, slave and free. American Indians who were living in tribal societies weren’t counted. Chinese were counted in the 1860 Census, but only in California, and Japanese were identified separately starting in 1870. A “Mexican” category appeared on the 1930 Census, then disappeared in 1940.

“He knows a lot for an old white guy,” one student told me afterward. I laughed. As an old white woman, I’m pleased to use journalism to help bridge the divisions of race, time, gender and culture.

The students at Friday’s meeting with Tom Gillaspy learned a lot. Soon, ThreeSixty’s readers will get to share that knowledge. They’ll be working hard with ThreeSixty editor Annie Nelson and their reporting and articles will appear here about the time the Census form appears in your mailbox.