[Ed. note: This is a guest blog from Flyer intern Natalie Mayo.]
April 1st might be April Fool’s day, but last week’s rally to support the 2010 Census was no joke.
During the 2000 U.S. Census, roughly 200,000 Shelby Countians were uncounted. Because every 100 residents not counted means a loss of $1 million over the next 10 years, local leaders spent so-called “Census Day” making sure Shelby County was down for the count.
“It is our city’s obligation to participate,” Shelby County mayor Joe Ford said at the rally on the Main Street Mall. “We cannot move forward until we mail our Census forms back.”
By Census Day, only 44 percent of Memphians had participated. Nationally, that number was at 54 percent.