Concern about accuracy and low response rates. Coronavirus afflicts and delays the decennial count and creates obstacles for door-to-door essential work

by Pilar Marrero

Ethnic Media Services

“A nightmare” is how Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), defines what the coronavirus pandemic has meant to the carefully planned efforts to make the nation’s Latino community count in the 2020 Census.

“We are moving forward with a new strategy and message, but deep down we know that there is no way to get to a full count without door-to-door visits” he said. “And at this point, we don’t know if the Census Bureau will be able to be on the street doing that follow-up work as planned in June (the original date would have been mid-May). I think by the end of this month the writing will be on the wall.”

NALEO and other groups continue to work to “turn the boat around” — to make the transition from hundreds of in-person events and follow-ups to paid and earned media to reach the so-called “hard-to-count” Latino community vulnerable to undercounts. But the confidence that the result will be reliable is fading with each passing day.

“Postponing the census until next year is an option that should be on the table,” Vargas added. “There is no reason to risk the health of the enumerators or the public.”  Congress will have to act because the statute sets two dates for delivering this data to Congress and the states. Brazil has already postponed its census.

Part of the nightmare for Vargas and other Latino activists is that so far the response from this population has been, on average, too low. While Latino communities tend to be undercounted in every census, this year the situation was already complicated. And then, the coronavirus hit.

The Trump administration’s handling of the last few years of preparation for the 10-year count mightily complicated things, including the decision to include a citizenship question that was finally rejected by the Supreme Court. The damage remains, however, as surveys continue to record that many Latinos still believe they will have to answer a citizenship question in the census.

Experts say this inhibits community members’ participation because they fear their data would be mishandled or used for immigration enforcement or other purposes.

Nationally, 48.6 percent of households already had answered the basic nine-question form by April 14, but the numbers were much lower, on average, in areas with high Latino populations, said Dorian Caal, a NALEO researcher and data analyst.

“If we look at counties with more than 50 percent Latino population nationwide, the average response is only 23.1 percent,” he said. “For counties with 20 percent or more Latinos, the response is 29.8 percent. The truth is that the fewer Latinos in an area, the higher the response. In other words, the Latino population’s participation is still far below average.”

Leaders expect Latino participation to improve after more than 60 million paper questionnaires are sent in mid-April to people who have not responded online. Research indicates that the paper response is the one most favored by Latinos.

Some small cities with high Latino populations, particularly those with nearby rural areas populated by many farmworkers and migrants, have desperately low census response numbers. Two examples in Fresno County: The city of Huron has a 6.3 percent response and the city of San Joaquin 4.6 percent.

In California, whose response exceeds the national average, 49.2 percent of the population has filled out the census compared to the nation’s 48.6 percent. California has spent more than $180 million promoting the census to secure its piece of the pie. States like Texas, which spent no money on outreach, have seen a lower return — 44.2 percent so far.

The situation in tribal areas is even dimmer because of the difficulties of carrying out the work door-to-door at a time when many tribal nations are restricting access to their lands and have a negligible online response level.

Also having a negative effect is the suspension of a program called “update and leave” that reconfirms the addresses of highly mobile or remote households and where workers leave census packets in person, said Caal.

Although only 5 percent of households were on these “update and leave” lists, some states have higher percentages of such addresses. This is the case in New Mexico (37.7 percent) and Alaska (32.4 percent).

The fair distribution of more than $1.5 billion in federal spending and political representation in the nation over the next 10 years depends on an accurate census.

But the Census Bureau had no plans for carrying out a census during a pandemic. Just three days after this interview with Vargas, the unthinkable happened: Census Bureau leaders and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross asked Congress for a four-month delay in the statutory deadlines for delivering population data to the executive and legislative branches.

The next day, President Trump said that perhaps this delay was “not enough” and that perhaps “we don’t have to ask Congress because it is an act of God.”

For NALEO, however, while the delay is logical, it represents a serious risk to the quality of the resulting data. There is a danger that the final result will be “incomplete and inadequate,” according to a statement from the organization.

Vargas called on Congress to intensify its oversight role of the face-to-face follow-up phase of the census to maintain the process’ integrity.

“Congress has the authority and obligation to work with the Bureau to take the necessary steps to ensure an accurate census of all U.S. residents,” he said.

The request by census leaders and the Department of Commerce would extend data collection until October 31, 2020, with the numbers delivered to the president and Congress by April 30 and July 31, 2021, respectively. President Trump´s current term in office ends January 20, 2021.

But according to the experts, time is not on the side of the census. The data will become more and more imprecise the further the fieldwork moves away from the April 1 date, which is when the “picture” of the country is supposed to be taken. All answers must be related by law to who was residing at home, at school or in the country on that day, and not after.

“The Constitution places the responsibility for the census in the hands of Congress,” according to a NALEO statement on April 14.  “In light of that obligation, it is time for Congress to step up to the plate and intensely monitor the 2020 Census if we are going to save it.“

by Araceli Martínez Ortega

Luis Echegoyén, an icon of Spanish-language journalism in the Bay of San Francisco, died on Monday, April 6, in his home in the Mission Terrace neighborhood of San Francisco.

“He died asleep, in peace, while taking a nap in the afternoon,” says the eldest of his children, Luis David Echegoyén.

He was 81 years old when he was surprised by death at his home where his entire family was gathered.

William Moya Cabrera, husband of his daughter Deborah, and Esther Armendáriz, his sister who lives in Los Reyes, El Salvador, also mourn his departure.

“My father left us a lot, especially his great passion for helping his people. He was a fighter for the less fortunate. He helped establish many outreach programs in poor communities,” said his 55-year-old son Luis David saddened.

But also, he commented, he contributed to the creation of the Mission Culture Center for Young Artists.

His mother María Ethel is heartbroken. “She has lost her king,” says the eldest son. Don Luis and María Ethel were married for 60 years, and 64 years together.

Don Luis was born on July 5, 1938 in Santa Ana, El Salvador. He emigrated to San Francisco in the early 1960s.

In the United States, he became a pillar of the Hispanic community in the Bay. He was known for his humanitarian efforts, his commitment to immigrants, and his activism.

He used his celebrity status to raise awareness of social justice issues related to the Latino community, making him known as “The Mayor of La Misión,” the Hispanic district of San Francisco.

Collaborated with leaders of community organizations, civic organizations, and artists to advance projects that serve Latinos.

For several decades he was the host of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on Univision/ Channel 14, where he earned the respect of the community.

But his career went beyond his work as a journalist and activist, he was an actor, comedian, master of ceremonies and poet.

Before working on television, his baritone voice led him to participate in a variety of Spanish radio stations such as KOFY, KBRG, KLOK, KIQI and KEMO.

He owned Hispanic Multimedia where he produced commercials and educational programs.

In 1975 he joined KDTV/Canal 14, which later became Univisión, where he worked until he retired in March 2007.

Luis was the first Latino to receive an Emmy Award. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the National Association of Television, Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and founder of the scholarship program for Latino students “Éxito Escolar”.

At Univision, he also hosted the Saturday program, Aqui con Luis Echegoyen, which featured leaders serving the Latino community.

The last years of his life, he spent working for the Latino community, sometimes as a master of ceremonies; and others, as a freelancer for TV Azteca. In addition to cultivating one of his favorite hobbies, declamation and poetry, and not missing an opportunity to help the community.

He was known for his gift of people, his elegance, chivalry, charisma, creativity and sense of humor.

He could talk about any subject, and he had a large collection of books in his library.

In his spare time, he liked to read about history, politics, and poetry. He often recited Rubén Darío’s poems at local events.

Don Luis’s remains were cremated, and his family had a private service on Friday, April 10. However, they plan to hold a public event to honor his memory, once the coronavirus pandemic quarantine is over.

Reactions

Mauricio René Avilés met Luis Echegoyén in late 1962 when he emigrated to San Francisco.

“In those days we had 23,000 Latin Americans. It was the custom to meet at home, and share anecdotes from our countries, “he says.

It was a normal weekend when, in one of those Latino home meetings, he met Luis, when he was reciting the poem, El Brindis del Bohemio.

“We met again during the soccer war between Honduras and El Salvador. We form the United Salvadoran Organization. We used to make kermeses to raise money to send to El Salvador,” he says.

Luis worked in San Francisco for various organizations that helped people, he added.

“He came from being the spoiled child of El Salvador’s golden age of television and radio. He was trained by the best. He studied with Omar González, one of the most important speakers in El Salvador. He participated in an artistic caravan that went through all the towns. He sang, he jumped and he made antics,” he remembers.

“He was privileged because he worked with famous people in El Salvador; and he was one of the first artists to do comedy, game shows and art tours at a time when everything was done live.”

Mauricio René considers that Luis came to San Francisco in search of new horizons.

“More than a journalist, he was a theater man – a theater man -. He was always acting. He was upset when I said, “You have to go back to the theater” because he was busy with radio and television.”

He opened Channel 20 television in San Francisco which later became Channel 14, and then Univision.

How would you describe him?

“He was a big deal. A very humanistic humanist. In El Salvador, he was able to get a scholarship to study theater in Mexico and went to Cuba.”

But above all, he says that Luis had an ability to see life in a very practical way.

“Because of his training in the theater, he knew how to solve problems right away, and how to get things out of the way.”

“The legacy he leaves us is that he was a well-placed man,” he says. And he explains: “he went where there was an open door. Not just for getting involved but for helping. He was a person who gave himself 100 percent to the community.”

On Facebook, María Leticia Gómez, a retired journalist from Univision published upon learning of the death of Luis Echegoyén, the following:

“Since we met in 1999 we became great friends. We hosted Univision News 14 together for seven years. Just a week ago we spoke for the last time, and he said goodbye with his characteristic, “I love you so much Marrrrrrrría Leticia!”

In the midst of the immense pain that his departure causes me, I give thanks for the years that life has allowed us to share. Luis Echegoyén was a generous teacher, an incomparable companion, a close friend, a unique journalist and a wonderful human being. Rest in peace dear Luis. I will carry you in my heart forever, Chego”.

He is survived by his wife María Ethel Ugarte de Echegoyén and their four children Luis David, Deborah Linda, Dernelio Miguel and Rossanna María. As well as three grandchildren, Roberto Carlos, Cristina Alejandra and Victoria Andrea Cabrera. In addition to two great-granddaughters: Isabela and Alejandra Cabrera.

(This article was translated from Spanish with Google Translate).