CHICAGO – The State of Illinois’ 2020 Census Office, part of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), today announced it will be hosting “Black Census Day” on Instagram Live to celebrate Juneteenth and highlight how important it is for the Black community to fill out the 2020 Census.
Juneteenth is the celebration of the emancipation of Black people from slavery throughout the entire country. Slaves in Texas were among the last to be freed (in 1865), nearly two and a half years after The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, because news of the proclamation had been intentionally withheld from them.
“African Americans have been suffering from social inequity and disparities for generations. Neighborhoods that had little now have even less,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “We have to get the resources we need to achieve genuine equality. We owe it to our ancestors, who suffered for our freedom – and fought to be recognized as whole human beings – to stand up and be counted. Let’s honor them and fill out the Census.”
Black Census Day will welcome all participants with a specific focus on Chicago’s South and West Sides, the southern suburbs, and the East St. Louis regional area. The Instagram Live event will be held on June 19th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and hosted by Chicago music personalities Tone Kapone and Sean Mac of WGCI and IHeart Radio. Special guests will include Governor JB Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, Chicago-based rap artist Femdot, Rockie Fresh, and East St. Louis’ DJ Word is Bond, and more.
“There’s a lot going on in the world, but the 2020 Census shouldn’t be downplayed. In fact, it strikes at the very core of Black people being seen and represented in government,” said Donald Dew, President, and CEO of Habilitative Systems Inc. “Right now, Black communities are well behind the state’s overall response rate. We need to do everything we can to fix that, so we strongly urge our community to participate and understand what’s at stake – Protest with purpose and plan – Be Counted now!”
RSVP for Black Census Day at https://bit.ly/BlackCensusDay
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