US Census Announces Official Partnership with Watch the Yard to Reach the Black Community

The United States Census announced a partnership with Watch The Yard on Monday with the goal of spreading the word about the importance of the the the 2020 Census and making sure that the Black community is counted and represented.

“We’re proud to partner with Watch The Yard for the 2020 Census,” they wrote in a statement. “Watch The Yard stands apart for embodying the spirits of unity and collective responsibility, bringing thousands of Black community leaders together in celebration and in service. Watch The Yard’s influence– amplified though it’s large audience of mentors, entrepreneurs, artists and students — is ideal for an outreach effort that requires both accountability and authenticity. As a leading destination for Black news, culture, and conversation online, Watch The Yard is uniquely positioned to be a powerful 2020 Census partner to help count the Black community.”

The census is important because the data collected from its results inform how over $675 billion in public funding flows into historically Black colleges and universities, community services, health clinics, Head Start, and programs that support minority-owned businesses. Census results affect planning and funding for infrastructure and Section 8 housing. The results of this once-a-decade count determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives, something that is extremely important to the Black community.

“The census is extremely important to the Black community and as a platform that reaches millions of people a month and is focused on the Black community, we at Watch The Yard are proud to partner with the census to make sure our community is counted. Having something as big as the census recognize the value, importance and size of the audience that Watch The Yard has created is truly something to be proud about,” Jonathan Rabb the founder of Watch The Yard stated.

Over the next few months you will see posts, interviews and collaboration highlighting the 2020 Census on Watch The Yard and its sister platform Watch The Bands with the objective of getting the largest Black census turnout ever.