The 2020 Census and Civic Engagement

Youth Organizing X

Matt, Rocio Ortega, and Dr. Kathleen Yang-Clayton discuss organizing around the census as a lens through which we can better interrogate the role of organizing communities to engage in civic institutions of all forms - including registering and turning out to vote. Kathleen shares her journey in advocacy and organizing for racial equity, her role in administering the 2020 census in Illinois, and why the census is so important. Rocio shares her work in the nonprofit sector, her journey grappling with the label "organizer," and the challenges and lessons learned from her grassroots work to engage "hard to count" communities in Chicago ranging from the homeless population to immigrant communities around the 2020 census. Matt, Kathleen, and Rocio dive into how the Trump Administration and COVID-19 have exacerbated preexisting inequities along racial lines in the census process - and how they've created new ones. They describe the historical distrust in government in many marginalized communities that contribute to low engagement with the census. But they also explore grassroots organizers' role in rebuilding that trust. Then, they explore civic engagement generally in the U.S., the range of cultural attitudes in immigrant communities, for example, concerning civic engagement, and how civic education in K-12 is essential to building engagement in the census and other civic processes over the long-term.

Note: Transcripts for every podcast episode can be found on the podcast's website under 'Transcripts.'

Resources to learn more about Census + Voter Engagement work:

• Sincerely Chicago
• Literacy Works
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
• Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community
• Chicago Votes

Bios:

Dr. Kathleen Yang-Clayton is a Clinical Assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Civic Partnerships for the Department, ensuring that the growth and expansion of the bachelor’s degree program in public policy engages the top government, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders in the city and state. Her experience in social justice and racial equity campaigns includes immigrant and voting rights issues, with a current focus on expanding the use of racial equity policy analysis across a range of sectors and issue areas. Her cross-movement work on voting rights resulted in the passage of landmark legislation in Illinois that expanded access to underserved communities through Same Day Registration. She is a co-founder of a racial equity leadership development organization, sits on several boards and associations, is the faculty adviser for UIC’s chapter of the Roosevelt Institute and recipient of a civic engagement research award for UIC faculty by the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement at UIC for spring 2018.

Rocio Ortega currently serves at the Chicago Literacy Alliance, a collective of more than 100 organizations helping to meet literacy needs for people of all ages and backgrounds. Her lived experience as a South Side Chicago native cultivated a conviction for civic engagement, youth empowerment, and community development. Her previous experiences include working to transform the industry of cultural exchange, joining the GirlForward family to mentor girls who have been displaced by conflict and persecution, and more recently being selected as a fellow of the Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps.