BOROUGH PRESIDENT KATZ ANNOUNCES FIRST APPOINTMENTS TO QUEENS COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE FOR 2020 CENSUS

USANEWSONLINE.COM DESK, QUEENS, NY – With the 2020 Census now just over one year away, Borough President Melinda Katz announced today the first 70 appointees to her Queens Complete Count Committee. Press Release.

“From federal funding to representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, so much is at stake with the 2020 Census. That’s why we need to be as prepared as possible to ensure every Queens resident is counted accurately, as an undercount would have negative impacts across our borough for at least the next decade,” saidBorough President KATZ. “The challenges Queens faces are significant, but I am confident these civic-minded community partners will help ensure the borough is counted completely and fairly.”

First announced by Borough President Katz in her 2018 State of the Borough address, the Queens CCC will bring together trusted community leaders and activists to learn about key 2020 Census issues, report back to their diverse communities and strategize how to ensure everyone in Queens is counted accurately.

A second round of appointments to the Queens CCC will be conducted later this year.

The 2020 Census brings with it new challenges, including 80 percent of respondents being asked to complete the Census form online, making the Queens CCC’s work even more vital.

The federal government also announced last year its intention to add a citizenship question to the Census, which has raised concerns about the possibility of substantial undercounts in communities where residents fear being targeted over their immigration or residency status.

On January 15, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled the federal government’s attempt to add the question is unlawful. Borough President Katz applauded Judge Furman’s ruling in a statement issued that afternoon.

“The legal battle is likely far from over, and Queens will continue to speak out against the proposed Census citizenship question for as long as there is active litigation. But today’s court ruling is a tremendous victory in the fight against a reckless policy targeting our thriving immigrant communities in Queens and across the country,” Borough President Katz said. “Including a citizenship question would undermine the goal of the Census: a complete count of all persons living in the United States. Here in Queens, a borough of nearly 2.4 million people of all races, ethnicities and faiths, an undercount would lead to fewer federal dollars for countless vital programs and initiatives.

“Judge Jesse Furman’s ruling is consistent with the borough’s belief that everyone living in Queens deserves to be accurately and fairly counted,” Borough President Katz continued. “We are hopeful that any potential court decision in the future will cement this belief.”

The decennial Census determines the borough’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as how much federal funding Queens receives for schools, infrastructure, health services and more.

The 2010 Census saw significant undercounts in parts of Western Queens, particularly those with high immigrant populations. As a whole, the count reported the population of Queens increased by only 1,300 people over the prior decade, and the Borough President is committed to working with government agencies, nonprofits and civic groups to prevent these inaccuracies from recurring.

As part of her determined effort to avoid an undercount, Borough President Katz hosted a Census Town Hall on November 13^th, 2018 — featuring presentations from Deputy Mayor J. Phil Thompson, Department of City Planning Population Division Director Dr. Joseph Salvo, Census Bureau New York Regional Director Jeff T. Behler and others — to keep the public informed as the 2020 Census nears.

The 70 individuals appointed to the Queens Complete Count Committee — many of whom are also members of the Borough President’s Queens General Assembly and Immigration Task Force — are:

·         Sudha Acharya                        South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS)

·         Rokeya Akhter                        New American Women’s Forum of New York

·         Vincent Arcuri                        Community Board 5 – Queens

·         Anisia Ayon                            Community Board 5 – Queens

·         Naheed Samadi Bahram          Women for Afghan Women

·         Lorna Blancaflor                     YMCA New Americans Initiative

·         Betty Braton                            Community Board 10 – Queens

·         Carolyn Brown                        Community Board 8 – Queens

·         Josefa Castro                           Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ)

·         Rachel Cerbone                       Anti-Racism Committee at Safe Horizon

·         Chaio-chung Chen                    NYC Health+Hospitals/Elmhurst Hospital/Community Advisory Board

·         Narbada Chhetri                      Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice  

·         Rosemary Ciulla-Frisone         Community Board 10 – Queens

·         Veronica Coronel                     Latino Film Market

·         Pastor Phillip Craig                 Greater Springfield Community Church

·         Angie Damlakhi                      Allewaa Alarabi Newspaper

·         Herold Dasque                        Haitian Americans United for Progress, Inc. (HAUP)

·         Bess DeBetham                       Community Board 13 – Queens

·         Karen Durgana                        Central Library Advisory Board

·         Renetta English                       Community Board 3 – Queens

·         Crystal Feng                            APA Voice

·         Kevin Forrestal                       Community Board 8 – Queens

·         Fred Gitner                              New Americans Program, Queens Library

·         Lucia Gomez                          New York Immigration Coalition Action Fund Board

·         Frank Gulluscio                       Community Board 6 – Queens

·         Adjoa Gzifa                             Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

·         Michael Hannibal                    Community Board 8 – Queens

·         Lourdes Villanueva Hartrick   Bellerose Commonwealth Civic Association

·         Larinda Hooks                        East Elmhurst Corona Civic Association

·         Shaikh Sirajul Islam                Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA)

·         Mehreen Kagzi                        Safe Horizon

·         Bob Kaplan                             Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC)

·         Lalit Khanna                           Hindu Temple of North America

·         Jennie Kim                              Legal Hand Jamaica

·         Nancy Konipol                        Community Board 1 – Queens

·         Eva Kornacka                         Polonians Organized to Minister to Our Community, Inc.

·         Julieta Larsen                          Queens Community House (QCH)

·         Mark Laster                            Community Board 6 – Queens

·         Sharon Levy                            YMCA of Greater New York

·         Shiuho Lin                               Taiwanese American Association of New York

·         Richie Lipkowitz                     Indian Diaspora Council

·         Marcus Longmuir                   Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network

·         Angie Markham                      Italian Federation of Queens (FIAO)

·         Rosalinda Martinez                 Mensaje de Silo (Silo’s Message)

·         Antonio Meloni                      Community Board 1 – Queens

·         Jorge Mendizabal                    Guatemalan Community in Brooklyn and Queens

·         Sofiya Minsariya                     National Institute for Reproductive Health

·         Melva M. Miller                     Association for a Better New York (ABNY)

·         Abdus-Salaam Musa               Southeast Queens Muslim Collective, Inc.

·         Nuala O’Doherty                    Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG)

·         Theo Oshiro                            Make the Road New York

·         Taina M. Pierce                       Friends of Queens Library – Lefrak City Chapter

·         Rasel Rahman                         Shetu, Inc.

·         Ashook Ramsaran                   Indian Diaspora Council International

·         Sherry Reisner                         Utopia Estates Civic Association

·         Quinn Rhi                               MinKwon Center for Community Action

·         Louise Roach                          New Beginnings Church of Astoria

·         Gloria Rochester                     Jamaica NAACP

·         Tammy Ross                           New Visions Democratic Club

·         Rabbi Hayim Schwartz           Rabbincal Seminary of America

·         Lynette Shelborne-Barfield     Queens Chapter Rockaway YMCA

·         Patricia Simon                         United Neighborhood Settlement

·         Evgenia Soldatos                     Hellenic Lawyers Association

·         Roslin Spigner                         Queens Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta

·         Penny Stern                             Community Board 8 – Queens

·         Perminder Thiara                    School District 26 PTA

·         Yanhai Wan                            Forest Hills Asian Association

·         Jeffrey Wice                            Rockefeller Institute of Government (SUNY)

·         Anna Xing                               Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC)

·         Minwen Yang                          Community Board 4 – Queens