U.S. CENSUS

WHEREAS, a fair and accurate U.S. census is among the most significant civil rights issues facing the country today; and

WHEREAS, President Trump’s continued attempts to seek a citizenship question ignore the U.S. Supreme Court and violate the clear intent of the U.S. Constitution in creating a decennial census; and

WHEREAS, if President Trump is successful, it will result in suppression of the count for certain populations while boosting the count for other populations; and

WHEREAS, the consequences of Trump’s jerry-rigging the Census to undercount underrepresented groups will be draconian for people already marginalized within our society; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers is committed to ensuring that every resident is counted in the 2020 census; and

WHEREAS, the current administration is making every effort to distort, disrupt, dismantle and undermine an accurate census and prevent the Census Bureau from counting all communities equally:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will do everything possible to make sure that every person is counted; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work broadly in coalitions to educate everyone about the citizenship question; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support the efforts of our members to ensure a complete and accurate reporting that reflects the growing diversity of racial and ethnic groups.