Empowered By Numbers Campaign

(in Partnership with US Census 2010)

The “Empowered by Numbers Campaign” (referred to as the EBN Campaign) is a new project
headed by the National African Students Association to promote the U.S. Census 2010 across a
vital sector of the United States-the African student population. This outreach campaign will
educate African students at the collegiate level about the importance of representation in the US
Census by launching several initiatives throughout our respective regions nationwide (i.e.,
Northeastern, Southeastern, Midwestern, Southwestern, and Western Regions). The activities
will lay the groundwork and make visible nationwide US Census 2010 activities in hard to reach
African student communities on college campuses. The campaign will last the entire school year, with special attention during the Spring semester in time for the Census in April.

By implementing an effective culture-specific approach, the National ASA aims to create an
avenue whereby census officials and the African student communities can interact nationwide;
therefore, ensuring African students, some of which are African-born residents, build trust in
census services. Because the Census 2010 data effects critical decisions, involving issues such as
Congressional representation and allocation of more than $300 billion annually in federal
funding, the National ASA will also embark in engaging all affiliate African organizations.

Without this aggressive grassroots partnership approach to outreach to African
populations (i.e., hard to reach African immigrant communities), the consequences can
potentially be continued gross misrepresentation of African-student populations throughout
college campuses nationwide. Furthermore, the opportunity to acquire more knowledge and
cultivate a sense of trust in the Census would be offset by or lost for another ten years.

The purpose of this project is to support the U.S. Census Bureau in their effort to have an accurate count of African immigrants, specifically African-born student immigrants in the United States, many of whom also have resident status. This project proposal will realize these measurable objectives and benefits:

  • Increased awareness of the significance of the US Census
  • Cultivate interest in the US Census by enumerating the benefits of responding to the
    Census questionnaire
  • Increased funding opportunities for African communities
  • Vamp communication between policy makers and African community as well as between
    policy makers and college students
  • Increase representation of marginalized communities (i.e. African communities and
    students)
  • Recruitment of students as volunteers and employees of US Census

MAKE YOURSELVES COUNT!  FILL OUT THE 2010 CENSUS!

For any questions about this campaign and how you can help on your campus, please email the National ASA at nationalboard@nationalasa.org or leave us a message via the ‘Contact Us’ page.  Information regarding the Census will be made available via this website as well as at the National Conference in March of 2010.