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Politics

Asian And Pacific Islander Community Leaders Prepare For The Census

Pan-Asian community members gather to learn to assist with the count for the 2010 Census. The forum was held at the Jacobs Centers in southeast San Diego on March 26, 2010.
Pamela Davis
Pan-Asian community members gather to learn to assist with the count for the 2010 Census. The forum was held at the Jacobs Centers in southeast San Diego on March 26, 2010.
Asian And Pacific Islander Community Leaders Prepare For The Census
A forum targeted to Asian and Pacific Islander community leaders is designed to make sure everyone is accounted for in the 2010 census.

A forum targeted to Asian and Pacific Islander community leaders is designed to make sure everyone is accounted for in the 2010 census.

The Union of Pan Asian Communities, or UPAC, is one of eight partner organizations involved in the Census count. They are asking community leaders to conduct a grassroots effort to make sure everyone is counted.

Volunteers will go door-to-door within hard-to-count San Diego communities.

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San Diego State University Professor Dr. Bey-Ling Sha says the community leaders can make a difference in overcoming barriers.

"I think for the Asian Pacific Islander community one of the major challenges is the linguistic challenge as well as the cultural reluctance that some people may have to participating in the census," said Sha.

In the past census, Dr. Sha says minorities and youth have been two undercounted groups.

Organizations like UPAC intend to give voice to San Diego's diverse communities.