USAN/USTN Contact: YesWeCan[at]USAzeris.org and/or info[at]USTurkic.org
The U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) and the U.S. Turkic Network (USTN) officially
partner with the U.S. Census Bureau to achieve a complete and accurate count
for the 2010 Census
USAN and USTN become the first-ever official partners of the U.S. Census
Bureau from among Turkic organizations
The U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) and the U.S. Turkic Network (USTN) have today
announced that after months of planning and preparing, have partnered with
the U.S. Census Bureau to achieve a complete and accurate count of the U.S.
population in 2010. (To see our organizations’ names reflected on the U.S
Census Bureau’s website, please visit:http://2010.census.gov/partners/partners/current-partners.php?U ) The
partnership is part of a larger effort by the Census Bureau to increase
participation in the 2010 Census.
As the first-ever Azerbaijani-American and Turkic-American organizations
that have officially partnered with the United States Census Bureau, we are
delighted and dedicated to ensuring each of our members, as well as
Azerbaijani-American and Turkic-American residents understand the importance
of participating in the 2010 Census. We are very excited to partner with the
Census Bureau on this important initiative and committed to helping increase
overall participation in 2010. As part of this vital initiative we will
place all relevant materials at a dedicated website,http://census2010.USAzeris.org <http://census2010.usazeris.org/>, where all
our members and friends will be able to stay updated and informed about the
upcoming census. We call on your enthusiastic support and dedication for
this and other initiatives and projects of the U.S. Azeris Network (USAN)
and the U.S. Turkic Network (USTN).
It has been USAN's and USTN's founding goal, as articulated back in 2007
USAN/USTN "Goals of members, donors, supporters and advocates", to make sure
the 2010 Census count is more complete when it comes to
Azerbaijani-Americans and the Turkic-Americans in general: "Raise awareness
of the importance to have as many Azerbaijani-Americans as possible identify
themselves and their native language as "Azerbaijani" and being originally"from Azerbaijan" in the next U.S. Census in 2010" <
http://usazeris.org/index-3/58.html> and "raise awareness of the importance
to have as many Turkic-Americans as possible identify themselves of Turkic
ethnicity - "Turkish", "Azeri" or "Azerbaijani", "Tatar", "Uzbek", "Kazakh",
"Turkmen", "Kirgyz", "Karachay", etc., in the next U.S. Census in 2010" <
http://usturkic.org/index-3/58.html>.
According to our estimates, there are over 400,000 Azerbaijani-Americans,
and one million Turkic-American citizens and Green Card holders in the
United States. According to the 2000 census, there were only 14,205 U.S.
residents born in Azerbaijan, an obviously gross underestimate. Likewise,
the 2000 census lists only 78,380 U.S. residents born in Turkey, and only
283,225 born in Iran, which, too, are severe underestimates, that are
contradicted by White House and U.S. State Department’s own estimates. Our
goal is to have these estimates to be as closely reflected in the Census
2010 results as possible.
The partnership will involve sharing information about the census and
encouraging people to complete and mail back their 2010 Census forms. Every
year, the federal government distributes more than $400 billion to state,
local and tribal governments based on census data. Leaders use this data to
guide planning decisions on where to build new roads, hospitals, child-care
and senior citizen centers, schools and more. Data also determine the number
of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives
“With the help of our 2010 Census partners, the Census Bureau has a far
greater chance of reaching every person living in the United States, than if
we were to attempt this monumental task alone,” said Robert Groves,
director, U.S. Census Bureau. “Through their unique roles in their
individual communities, members of Congress can help deliver the 2010 Census
message to every corner of the nation.”
USAN and USTN are proud to join other Census 2010 partners, including
community- and faith-based organizations, schools, state, local and tribal
governments, media and corporations.
Census forms will be delivered or mailed to households in March 2010;
households should complete and mail back their forms upon receipt. Census
workers will visit households that do not return forms to take a count in
person.
Information shared with the Census Bureau is completely confidential. By
law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s personal information
with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.
What is the Census?
- The census is a count of everyone living in the United States every 10
years.
- The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
- The next census is in 2010.
- Your participation in the census is required by law.
- It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
- Federal law protects the personal information you share during the
census.
- Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to
make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute
$400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each
year.
**About 2010 Census
What Count
The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States: in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas.
Who Everyone
All residents of the United States must be counted. This includes people of
all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens.
When Every 10 years
Every 10 years, and the next census occurs in 2010. Census questionnaires
will be mailed or delivered to every household in the United States in March
2010. The questions ask you to provide information that is accurate for your
household as of April 1, 2010.
The Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to
the U.S. President by December 31, 2010.
The first Census was conducted in 1790 and has been carried out every 10
years since then.
Where Everywhere in the U.S.
The census counts everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas.
People should be counted where they live and sleep most of the year.
Why
The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 2) mandates a headcount of
everyone residing in the United States. The population totals determine each
state’s Congressional representation. The numbers also affect funding in
your community and help inform decision makers about how your community is
changing.
How
The Census Bureau will mail or deliver questionnaires to your house in March
2010. We will mail a second form to households that do not respond to the
initial questionnaire.
Households that still do not respond will be called or visited by a Census
worker. (Census workers can be identified by a census badge and bag.)
The U.S. Azeris Network (USAN)<http://www.USAzeris.org<http://www.usazeris.org/>>
and the U.S. Turkic Network (USTN) <http://www.usturkic.org/> are registered
non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian genuine grassroots advocacy and
voter education networks that are facilitating political activism and
efforts by the Turkic-Americans and their associations, organizations,
councils, conferences, and other formal, semi-formal and informal groups, on
federal, state and local levels. USAN and USTN are created by the
Turkic-American grassroots, for the Turkic-American grassroots.
