Obama Finds his Box in Census 2010

by Michelle Chen on April 2 2010, 10:07PM

The New York Times reports that Obama has officially declared himself the nation’s first Black president, via the census form: The president, who was born in Hawaii and raised there and in Indonesia, had more than a dozen options in…

Topics: Demographics

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Urban Count in Census Lagging Again — So Far

by Kai Wright on April 2 2010, 9:57AM

If you live in a big city, particularly in a neighborhood full of people of color, you’ve likely been bombarded with Census advertising in recent weeks. Here’s why: Washington has spent a record $14 billion over the past decade…

Topics: Demographics

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How to Make Your Census Really Count

by Jamilah King on April 1 2010, 4:15PM

We all know that the census doesn’t exactly take the most nuanced approach when it comes to labeling identities. But given its importance in everything from how many hospitals are built to what communities get which resources, you’ve just got…

Topics: Demographics

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American Names: The Census Top 30

by Michelle Chen on March 24 2010, 11:19AM

Ever wonder why politicians and ordinary skeptics get all anxious when it’s time for the census? Numbers often say a lot more about the state of the country than we think. As the immigration battle kicks into high gear,…

Topics: Demographics

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When Numbers Lie: Prisoners of the Census in New York

by Michelle Chen on February 1 2010, 6:25PM

Across New York City, tens of thousands of Black and Latino residents have gone missing. You’ll find them languishing behind bars in upstate towns, where they’re punished by being robbed of their potential as income-earners, parents and community members….

Topics: Criminal Justice, Demographics

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SF Dept. Of Public Health Maps Out Severity of HIV Cases

by Leticia Miranda on November 12 2009, 10:00AM

The San Francisco Department of Public Health recently put together a map of city residents with the most severe HIV cases. And, no they’re not in the flamingly white gay male Castro district. They live in two San Pancho…

Topics: Demographics, Health

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“White flight” from social media sites

by Guest Columnist on September 2 2009, 11:32AM

by Latoya Peterson This article originally appeared on TheGrio.com. Is there really a racial divide on the Internet? Much of Danah Boyd’s research explores that dynamic. Since 1999, Boyd, social media researcher at Microsoft Research New England and a…

Topics: Demographics

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Refining the Poverty Line

by Michelle Chen on September 1 2009, 7:51PM

One reason the government has spent nearly half a century fighting, and losing, the war on poverty, is that it doesn’t know where to draw the battle line. The Center for American Progress recently analyzed the inadequacy of the…

Topics: Demographics, Economy

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Now It’s Official: Latinos and Asians Have Clout in the Voting Booth

by Jorge Rivas on August 17 2009, 4:52AM

Now it’s official: Roughly one out of every ten voters was Latino or Asian in the 2008 election. Last Thursday the Immigration Policy Center released “Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth,” a fact check report that “shows how…

Topics: Demographics

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2010 Census: Making Immigrants Count

by Michelle Chen on July 29 2009, 10:04PM

The immigration debate is replete with dubious warnings about the numbers of immigrants thronging to our borders, crowding our prisons, squeezing citizens out of job opportunities, and taxing our public services. But for all the demographic myths they propagate,…

Topics: Demographics

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Numbers game

by Michelle Chen on April 3 2009, 6:01PM

Counting people is harder than it looks. The 2010 census is morphing from a sociological project into a political one: conservatives are crowing about the dangers of tallying “illegals,” and activists are seeking policy changes to guard against undercounting….

Topics: Demographics, Politics

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