BRONX —
The US Census Bureau continues to insist its 2020 count will not be overly affected by COVID-19 restrictions, saying “It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker.”
Within immigrant communities, it isn’t that simple. “Saying that the census is corona-proof is kind of privilege speaking,” said Diya Basu-Sen of the nonprofit Sapna NYC, which supports Southeast Asian immigrant women.
Many don’t speak English and the online census isn’t offered in languages such as Bengali or Urdu. There are online guides in 59 languages but Basu-Sen said that much of her community is not equipped to access them on their own.
