CaribPR Wire

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 10, 2010: `Ensure you fill out and return the 2010 U.S. Census form while writing in your Caribbean country of origin or your ancestry under the Some Other Race section of the U.S. Census form while filling in your race on question 9.`

 That`s the message Carib ID, the movement started in 2008 by Felicia Persaud to get Caribbean nationals accurately counted across the U.S., is hoping the media and organizations will keep on pushing nationally as the count-down begins to the arrival of the forms in mail boxes across the United States.

 `We need the help of every single Caribbean national in the U.S., especially the media and the many myriad of organizations, party promoters and church leaders who are always pursuing advertising and sponsorship dollars to ensure we count as Caribbean nationals in the 2010 Census,` said Persaud, Carib ID`s founder, on Thursday. `Census forms will begin arriving by March 17^th. It is imperative that we not take 10 minutes to immediately fill out and return the forms while writing in our nationality or ancestry under the Some Other Race section but that we also tell a friend, tell a neighbor, call up a family member, email and blog about it and let`s truly stand up as proud Caribbean nationals and count.` 

Persaud also endorsed a call from attorney Marlon Hill, host of `The Peoples` Politics` commentary on Caribbean Riddims, WZAB 880AM, every Saturday from 4 p.m., and Soca De Vote, for all Caribbean broadcasters, deejays and radio personalities across the U.S. to complete their Census forms LIVE on their shows while urging all of their listeners to join them in doing the same.

 Hill is set to complete his form live on radio WZAB 880AM in South Florida on March 20th at 4pmEST, while Persaud will do the same in New York on WWRL 1600 AM.

 Commented Hill: `We wanted to present a live shared experience for our listeners to build their confidence and trust in completing the form.  This is a critical moment for the Caribbean-American community to demonstrate our sense of urgency and to recognize our personal power in standing up to be counted.`

 Chris Chaplin, of the Philadelphia Mayor`s Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs and Carib ID board member, said his committee has been active in the city of Philadelphia in getting the word out about the importance of filling out the Census form and of completing Question 9.

 His committee is also working with the African Census Complete Count Committee for a Census Awareness Weekend in Philadelphia from March 12-14.

 `Every Caribbean national must be mobilized and be participative in this historic count,` added Pastor Gil Montrose, a CaribID partner. `You must fill out that form and return it. There shouldn`t be any fear even if you are undocumented.`

 Carib ID also has released new PSA`s in the countdown to April 1. Media interested in obtaining these PSAs should contact [email protected].

 Census numbers determines every aspect of our lives in the United States, from federal funding for smaller class sizes and better or more schools in our neighborhoods, to better transportation and health care and secure neighborhoods to even if our roads are cleaned during snow storms and our garbage collected.

 For media, organizations, festivals and event promoters, it determines whether corporations will consider the market place as economically viable enough to invest their hard earned sponsorship or advertising dollars.

 For the undocumented, it is imperative that they fill out and keep a copy of the form as it provides them with proof that they are living in the U.S. so that once immigration reform comes around, they can take advantage and get a green card.

Carib ID, a historic initiative from Hard Beat Communications, is an endorsed effort by a number of media partners and key groups across the U.S. to secure an accurate count of Caribbean nationals. Among the partners of Carib ID are Ann Walters and Loughton Sargeant of the D.C. Caribbean Carnival Association, Chris Chaplin of the Philadelphia Mayor`s Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs, The West Indian American Day Carnival Association, the Bowling Green Association, Ecaroh Entertainment, the Jamaica Organization of New Jersey, Pastor Gil Montrose and the Brooklyn Center For Quality Life, the Caribbean Association of Mid West America, Caribbean One, The Caribbean American Center of New York, The Midwest Caribbean Network,  Students of Caribbean Ancestry, the Guyanese American Workers United, Jamaica Diaspora representative, Marlon Hill and Soca De Vote,  the D.C., Chicago, New York and Atlanta carnival associations, and a large number of media houses and media practitioners including the Caribbean American Journalists & Media Association, Inc., DJ Norrie, Power 105 FM; CBean.Tv,  the Caribbean International Network, Caribbean World News Network, Irie Jam Media, One Caribbean Radio, Carib Voice newspaper, South Florida Caribbean, Jamaicans.com, Zync TV and G-Arts Media, Whatz Up TV, Caribbean Vibes Radio, Deeraj TV, Carib Nation TV, CaribVoice Radio, Tropicalfete, Jason Walker, WFGG Atlanta, Eddy Edwards, Ken Webb, SMAC Productions and Caribbean Life Style TV  among others.