SAN ANTONIO — Members of San Antonio’s Black community united Sunday to learn about the importance of filling out the 2020 U.S. Census.
The Dream Big Scholarship Fund along with the San Antonio-Bexar County Complete County Committee hosted a socially-distanced comedy show outside the AT&T Center with the intention to encourage Black people to fill out the census.
The event featured music, comedians and food trucks.
Michele Thomas, co-founder of the Dream Big Scholarship, noted the census affects everyone in the long run.
“The census really is important because a lot of the funding that the city receives is tied to the census as well as the number of representatives that you get for your area,” Thomas said.
Four out of five San Antonio households have yet to fill out the census.
The census provides state and local governments funding for the next decade. Money goes toward improving road infrastructure, hospitals, housing and transportation.
“It just means you’re filling out your census form, you understand the purpose of the census so when you put all that together, it gives us a sense of unity, which is important, unity in the community and getting our people together," said San Antonio resident Antoinette Lakey.
Wednesday Sept. 30 is the deadline to complete the U.S. Census. The next complete count will take place in 2030.