New NiLP ReportData Dissemination to Communities of Color:
The Role of the Census Information Centers
By Angelo Falcon (February 2010)
To download a Free PDF version of the report, click here .
Beginning to plan beyond the 2010 Census, the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) has produced this analysis of the role of the Census Information Centers (CIC) Program of the Census Bureau in meeting the data dissemination needs of the nation's communities of color. NiLP is one of 57 Community Information Centers that are part of this program that is this year celebrating its 20th anniversary.
CONTENTS
* Introduction
* Who Are the CICs Today?
* Assessing the CIC Program
* 2010 Census Information Needs
* CIC Training Needs
* Conclusions
From the Introduction:
"The challenges of Census-related data dissemination in communities of color in the United States and its territories have many similarities with those in the developing world. These challenges center on lack of infrastructure and limited human and financial resources in these underserved communities. These deficiencies limit within communities the amount and scope of critical social scientific activities. However, as people of color are projected to be-come a majority of the US population in the not too distant future, the need to provide these populations with timely and useful data and tools for analysis increases in urgency if they are to have a greater voice in public pol-icy discussions. Yet current systems are limited in their ability to reach these communities, and, in addition, scientific bodies that generate and regulate such data remain diversity-challenged. As the leading producer of socioeconomic scientific data in the United States, the Census Bureau has a major role to play in addressing this problem, especially with the increased demand for data that will be generated by the 2010 Census and the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) this year. One effort within the Bureau to address these informational needs is its Census Information Centers (CIC) Program."
This report contains a history of the program as well as a contact list of the 57 community- and university-based organizations that are members.