Thousands of Kurds and their allies took to the streets to clamor against the Turkish invasion of Rojava in the fall of 2019. Yet, when meeting with policymakers and American media regarding the issue, we always had to start by explaining who the Kurds actually are. As a result, creating a sense of urgency was difficult.
In reality, US policymakers do not always view issues through a foreign policy lens. The duty of Congress is to understand and act in their constituents’ interests. That is why presenting the needs of Kurdish Americans to congressional representatives in their respective states was more potent. However, it was an arduous undertaking since little substantive information is available.
The number of Kurds in the US, their geographical distribution, family size, political leanings, health, and education needs are all unknown. Some estimate Nashville, Tennessee alone has at least 15,000 Kurds. However, the Kurds were so severely undercounted that the reported number in the entire nation was just 20,000 in 2015.
Conducted every ten years, the census is perceived by some as a mere demographic survey. But its potential could resolve issues of representation and funding for our Kurdish community.
In the US, the census is the most powerful forgotten democratic tool that can empower entire communities and dictate the flow of power. It has profound implications for our underserved community’s everyday lives. Considering the severe lack of political representation and social mobilization, the benefits of ameliorating this could be reaped even in Kurdistan.
That is why community leaders from different Kurdish backgrounds launched a campaign to ensure our community is better represented in this year’s census.
The Kurds Count campaign has suffered setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, limiting its outreach to encourage our community to complete their census. Yet, for the same reason, our reliance on social media allowed the campaign to evolve into one that is nationally united.
It fostered creativity that allowed us to launch various initiatives, including giveaways, campaign videos, scholarships, webinars, phone banking, a helpline to address questions and translate, and more.
We were able to directly reach at least 15-25,000 Kurdish Americans – a number that is rapidly growing in part thanks to the extension of the census deadline until October.
These projects also made achievements beyond the census. They established a network for creating a dynamic national campaign which is no longer focused solely on cities with large Kurdish concentrations. Committee members were drawn from several different states and community representatives helped ensure all communities were involved and communication was direct and coordinated.
Moreover, by working to help our community ourselves, we were also able to remain in contact with other organizations and representatives of the Census Bureau, which has encouraged our efforts.
This was also a moment of coming together for the community – an opportunity for all of us to unite around a common identity and express pride in our Kurdish heritage by identifying as such when filling out the census.
In an emotional moment, more than 70 Kurds from all different parts of Kurdistan and from at least ten states participated in a campaign video, declaring that they are proud of being Kurdish and that they count.
Conflicts and emergencies have characterized Kurdish history and identity. However, it is imperative now to rise up and demand the world stand with Kurds – and not only during times of crisis.
Instead, we must take the necessary steps to maintain momentum throughout and recognize our voice before asking others to do so too. Data (and the lack thereof) matters, and is the first step to addressing our community’s needs. Taking a few minutes to fill out the census is essential to clearing that hurdle.
The United States conducts a census of its entire population every ten years. All permanent residents of the country are required by law to participate. Citizenship status is irrelevant to the questionnaire as well as the requirements to participate. All information is confidential and will not be shared with any other government agencies.
It collects basic information like the number of people in the household, names, race identification, ages, etc. This data determines how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are distributed in the country for the next ten years, for things like education, translation, health, representation, and other programs.
Congressional seats are also decided this way. Tennessee, the state with the largest Kurdish concentration in the country, could gain a seat in Congress through this census.
Residents can participate by filling out the form online, by telephone, or by mail. Everyone should have received a letter that includes an online login code. Otherwise, you can indicate that you have lost the code and follow instructions. Those who do not participate will be visited by Census Bureau staff, who will conduct the questionnaire in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline to fill out the form has been extended to October.
Yara Ismael is the campaign committee organizer for Kurds Count, a grassroots network encouraging Kurdish Americans to identify as Kurds in the upcoming national census.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
