NYC Census 2020 Releases New PSA Featuring GRAMMY Award-Winning Artist Alicia Keys

PSA is part of NYC Census 2020 strategy to reach historically undercounted communities


NEW YORK - NYC Census 2020 today released a new PSA featuring fifteen-time GRAMMY award-winning artist and global music icon Alicia Keys, who was born and raised in New York City. In the PSA, Keys emphasizes the importance of being counted in the census, especially in historically undercounted neighborhoods, as the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all New Yorkers and having a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities.

“Just like Alicia Keys sings in ‘Empire State of Mind,’ there’s nothing we can’t do in New York,” said NYC Census Director Julie Menin. “Alicia Keys embodies the spirit and determination of New Yorkers and we are so grateful to add her voice to our campaign. Now is not the time to be invisible - now is the time for every New Yorker to fill out the census and be counted.”

“To my NYC fam: strong, resilient and proud - now more than ever, it’s super important that every New Yorker counts,” said Keys in the PSA. “The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting us all, but it is affecting our black and brown communities the most. The only way to get the programs and funding that we deserve is to fill out the census.”

NYC Census 2020 has previously released PSAs featuring artists, celebrities, and public figures with strong ties to New York City, including rapper Cardi B, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. These PSAs are part of a strategy to reach historically undercounted New Yorkers and encourage people to self-respond to the census online or via phone, especially during COVID-19.

The census determines whether New York City receives its fair share of hundreds of billions distributed by the federal government every year for important programs and services. The census also leads to direct investments in New York City's health care system. For example, census data determines allocations for funding for CHIP and hospitals. What's more, it's how public health officials get the foundational data that public health experts use to plan for and manage situations like COVID-19.

The more New Yorkers who fill out the census, the more money the city receives for schools, hospitals, transportation, job training, and so much more. The census also determines each state's fair share of representation in Congress, as well as how local, state, and federal legislative district lines are drawn, meaning the power of New York City's voice in Washington, D.C., and Albany is also based on the census.
Important Facts about the 2020 Census:

  • The census is available online and by phone this year: my2020census.gov and 1-844-330-2020. 
  • New Yorkers can complete the census form online in 12 languages in addition to English, and each of these languages have their own dedicated, unique phone number that speakers of these languages can call to receive direct assistance. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau has published “explainer” guides in a total of 59 languages. For more information, please visit www.2020census.gov
  • New Yorkers can also fill out the 2020 Census in 15 different language lines:
English
844-330-2020

Spanish 
844-468-2020

Mandarin
844-391-2020

Cantonese
844-398-2020

Vietnamese 
844-461-2020

Korean
 844-392-2020

Russian 
844-417-2020

Arabic
 844-416-2020

Tagalog
 844-478-2020

Polish 
844-479-2020

French 
844-494-2020

Haitian Creole 
844-477-2020

Portuguese 
844-474-2020

Japanese 
844-460-2020

Telephone Display Device (TDD) 
 844-467-2020


About NYC Census 2020:

NYC Census 2020 is a first-of-its-kind organizing initiative established by Mayor de Blasio in January 2019 to ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census. The $40 million program is built on four pillars: (1) a $19 million community-based awards program, The New York City Complete Count Fund, empowering 157 community-based organizations to engage historically undercounted communities around the 2020 Census; (2) an in-house "Get Out the Count" field campaign supported by the smart use of cutting-edge data and organizing technology, and a volunteer organizing program to promote a complete count in each of the city's 245 neighborhoods; (3) an innovative, multilingual, tailored messaging and marketing campaign, including a $3 million commitment to investing in community and ethnic media to reach every New York City community; as well as (4) an in-depth Agency and Partnerships engagement plan that seeks to leverage the power of the City's 350,000-strong workforce and the city's major institutions, including libraries, hospitals, faith-based communities, cultural institutions, higher educational institutions, and more, to communicate with New Yorkers about the critical importance of census participation. Through close partnerships with trusted leaders and organizations across the five boroughs, this unprecedented campaign represents the largest municipal investment in census organizing nationwide and will build an enduring structure that empowers New Yorkers to remain civically engaged.