People Power Cache Valley, a local group working to ensure the valley’s census count will be accurate, hosted a census workshop in Logan last week.
Niki Venugopal is the voting rights coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and led the workshop last Thursday. She said participating in the census is a way to stand up against discrimination and make sure your community has a voice.
Nahomi Jiminez, a resident of the valley and a daughter of South American immigrants, was one of the attendees.
“I can be a part of explaining fear and helping eradicate that and help people recognize that they’re valuable in this country and we want to show them that by keeping count of them,” Jiminez said.
Jiminez said in past years she has helped her mother participate in the census. She said filling out the census can be fearful for some people, but that the intimidating process can be fulfilling. She and her mother were surprised at how easy it was to complete the census.
“But just doing further research, we recognized that not only is she welcome but they really want this community to apply and be part of this work, because it’s a skill rather than like a deficit,” Jiminez said.
The 2020 census deadline is Apr. 1 and mailers will be sent out in March with instructions on how to fill out the online questionnaire.
