08.12.21

Mitch Landrieu, founder of E Pluribus Unum, Statement on U.S. Census Bureau’s Data Release

“The promise of America is that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy and that starts with being counted in the Census. That’s one big reason E Pluribus Unum (EPU) partnered with Stacey Abrams and Fair Count on Census in the South to ensure southern states and communities of color were more accurately represented. We commend the U.S. Census Bureau staff who completed the count under very trying circumstances.

Today’s numbers highlight what we all know – the South is diversifying and growing rapidly. We are a beautiful mosaic, with large increases in African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and multi-racial populations. Simply put, our diversity is our strength both economically and culturally.

And as demographic changes continue, it is critical we view public policy change with a lens of equity, this Census count will be important as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 global pandemic to ensuring that communities receive their fair share of resources for fundamental infrastructure projects and programs like Medicaid and Head Start, as well as political power through reapportionment and redistricting. Southern state legislatures must prioritize creating fair maps that provide equitable representation for their state’s population.

EPU will continue engaging in this fight so that these numbers are used to help us all live up to our nation’s promise.”