Taskforce brings together community leaders, census experts, advocates, and trusted voices to develop best practices and recommendations for the Office of the Census ahead of 2030 Census
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and civic engagement leaders this week announced the launch of a new Census Taskforce and convened for the group’s inaugural meeting. In early preparation for the 2030 Census, the New York City Council Census Taskforce is bringing together community leaders, census experts, advocates, researchers, faith leaders, labor representatives, and civic institutions to inform the work of the newly established Office of the Census.
Taskforce co-chairs, in addition to Speaker Menin, include:
- L. Joy Williams, President, NAACP New York State Conference
- Emely Paez, Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, United Way of New York City
- Jeffrey M. Wice, Director, New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute, and Distinguished Adjunct Professor & Senior Fellow, New York Law School
Over the course of the next year, the Taskforce will meet, conduct research and community outreach, hear feedback, and produce a report with best practices and recommendations to help New York City achieve the most complete, accurate, and inclusive census count in City history and establish the infrastructure necessary for a successful 2030 Census.
The newly established Office of the Census was spearheaded by Speaker Menin and signed into law last November, with the intent of maximizing local participation in the federal census. The goal is to start this work early to reach and engage communities across the city and educate about the importance of the Census—particularly among groups that have been historically undercounted.
“The Census determines everything from how much federal funding New York receives to our representation in Congress, which is why we can’t afford to wait until 2029 to begin preparing,” said Speaker Julie Menin. “That’s why we’re launching this Taskforce nearly four years ahead of the count and bringing together the trusted leaders who are best positioned to reach every possible New Yorker. Having led NYC Census 2020, I know that achieving a complete count takes years of planning, deep community partnerships, and vigilance against efforts like proposed citizenship question that are designed to discourage participation. Every New Yorker counts, and we’ll keep fighting to ensure every community receives the representation and resources it deserves.”
This effort is a continuation of an ongoing push from the City Council for proactive planning and investment ahead of the next count, to ensure New York receives an appropriate share of federal funding and Congressional representation.
This initiative also continues to push back against the Trump administration’s effort to include a citizenship question in the testing phase of the 2030 Census, which, if inserted into the Census, would discourage participation from New York City’s diverse communities and undermine efforts to count every New Yorker. In April, Speaker Menin and New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick expressing their strong opposition to the inclusion of the citizenship question in census field tests, a likely precursor to including them in the 2030 Census. In 2019, Attorney General James successfully defeated the first Trump administration’s attempts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census after a months-long legal battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Speaker Menin served as the Director of NYC Census 2020, in which New York City saw the highest self-response rate compared with other major cities. The City gained over 620,000 new residents, accounting for a majority of the state’s population growth since 2010.
“For New York City—the census is not just an administrative task. It is a high-stakes battle ground. Every single response dictates our political weight, our economic share, and our local quality of life. And the census count has never been more threatened as it faces threats and promises of a citizenship question, limited language outreach, fewer enumerator visits, poorer national planning, insufficient testing, a shortage of funds, the specter of federal agents interfering- the list goes on,” said Jeffrey M. Wice, Director of New York Law School’s New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute and Distinguished Adjunct Professsor & Senior Fellow. “The census is not about politics in the partisan sense. It is about equity, visibility, and justice. It ensures our children have textbooks in their schools; it ensures our seniors have hot meals and reliable healthcare; it ensures our roads are safe and our transit systems function; and it ensures that when decisions are made in the halls of Congress, Albany, and City Hall, New Yorkers have a full team at the table fighting for our city. Every New Yorker matters. Every community counts. Let us work together to make sure every single New Yorker is included.”
“For Black communities, the Census is not just a statistical count, it is the bedrock of our political power and civic infrastructure. This new Census Taskforce in New York City ensures that our communities are not erased through lines drawn on a map or shortchanged in city, state, and federal funding,” said L. Joy Williams, President of the NAACP New York State Conference. “As NAACP New York State Conference prepares for the next decade and the 2030 redistricting cycle, we refuse to enter the fight for resources and representation just hoping to be heard. We are moving Black New York Forward using undeniable data to be decisive and guarantee that Black New Yorkers are accurately counted and our communities and institutions are adequately resourced.”
“A complete 2030 Census begins with trust. At United Way of New York City, we know that people are more likely to participate when they feel informed, respected, and confident that their voices matter,” said Emely Paez, Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at United Way of New York City. “An accurate Census is essential to ensuring that our communities have the resources and representation they need. I am honored to serve as Co-Chair of the Census Task Force and grateful to Speaker Julie Menin and the New York City Council for this appointment. I look forward to working with partners across the city to build trust, strengthen participation, and help ensure no community is overlooked in the 2030 Census.”
The full Taskforce includes representatives from:
- New York City Council
- New York Law School
- NAACP NY State Conference
- United Way of New York City
- Medgar Evers College – DuBois Bunche Center
- CUNY Graduate Center for Urban Research
- Hispanic Federation
- Irie Jam Radio
- NY Community Trust
- UJA Federation of New York
- Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
- Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
- Yemeni American Merchants Association
- African American Clergy and Electeds (AACEO)
- Christian Cultural Center
- NY Immigration Coalition
- Dominicanos USA
- Afrikana
- Association for a Better New York
- NYC Central Labor Council
- 32BJ SEIU
- United Federation of Teachers
- YMCA
- United Neighborhood Houses
- Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York
- LGBT Center
- Brooklyn Library Systems
- New York Public Library
- Queens Library Systems
- Additional community and civic leaders
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