CaribPR Wire

CaribPR Wire, PHILADELPHIA, PA, Tues. June 23, 2009:  The focus will shift to Census 2010 in Philadelphia this afternoon as CaribID joins the regional Census bureau and the Mayor`s Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs, for a census briefing.
The briefing is aimed at highlighting the importance of the next census to the Caribbean and African communities.
Today`s briefing will be presented by the Philadelphia Regional Census office and will be co-hosted by City Councilmember Jamie Blackwell along with CaribID and the Mayor`s Commission.
Both the Mayor`s Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs and CaribID officials argue that the census count is important to ensuring not just federal funds or voter representation but also to measure the economic impact and purchasing power of both the Caribbean and African communities.
CaribID, the movement to get Caribbean nationals accurately counted and their own ancestry category on the U.S. Census form, reiterates that Caribbean nationals must fill out the next Census form and write in their country of origin on question 8 while ticking `No Not Hispanic.` The origin question has absolutely nothing to do with the ethnic or race question on the form and as such, claims by some groups that the movement is divisive is completely absurd.
A Caribbean Count bill, introduced in the House by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke on April 23rd and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristin Gillibrand on May 20th calls for a Caribbean ancestry category on census forms. So far Congressman Charles Rangel and Gregory Meeks have signed on as co-sponsors of the measures, HR 2071 and S 1083.