(left to right): ANCA-WR Government Relations Coordinator Serob Abrahamian, 2020 Census Partnership Specialist Michael Khouri, ANCA-WR Executive Director Armen Sahakyan
ANCA-WR Partners with Census 2020
July 10, 2019GLENDALE – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) recently became an official Census 2020 partner organization and will be undertaking a number of activities to raise awareness to ensure a complete count of Armenian Americans by writing in “Armenian” on the questionnaire.
“As an estimated one-million-strong community in California alone, it is of paramount importance for the ANCA-WR that the very people we represent are counted accurately in the 2020 Census,” remarked ANCA-WR Chairperson Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “We have put together a concrete action plan that will allow us to do just that, and our partnership with the Census Bureau – similar to 2010 – will serve as an additional impetus to reach our goal.”
To facilitate outreach to the Armenian American community, the ANCA Western Region has formed the Armenian American Complete Count Committee (AACCC). More information about the AACCC will follow shortly. Additionally, the ANCA-WR is also working with other community-based organizations to exchange ideas, best practices, and information about the census.
The U.S. Census counts every person residing in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years. The data collected by the census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment) and is also used to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to state and local communities.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.