At 4.7 percent of the foreign-born population, African immigrants constitute only a small segment of the immigrant community in Chicago. Local organizations, however, say it’s essential that each and every one of them is counted in the 2020 census.
Advocates say that an accurate census count of African immigrants in the city will help the community receive social services, increase its visibility and strengthen its collective voice.
Though many immigrant communities are at risk of being missed by the census, the stakes are particularly high for recent African immigrants, according to Nancy Asirifi-Otchere, executive director of the United African Organization.
Read and listen to the full story on how groups like ICIRR Census partner United African Organization are preparing to get out the count in 2020. Thank you to Irene Romulo, Morgan Lee, and the teams at WBEZ and City Bureau.
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