ON APRIL 1, 2020, the United States will hold its 24th national census, taking demographic stock of its population, some 330 million people in more than 140 million households. The census is one of the greatest equalizing forces in society, with a goal of counting each person living in the U.S. to apportion political representation through state and congressional redistricting and to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding to states, counties, and communities. The census reflects the changing face of a nation.
Accordingly, the 2020 census will see several firsts: the first to ask about same-sex marriage, the first using an online method as the primary mode of response, and the first to request specific details on ethnic origins within racial categories such as “White” and “Black.”
Many embrace the census for the opportunity it presents to redefine our national portrait. Many fear and distrust it for the same reason.
The Trump administration has proposed reintroducing a question on citizenship status that has not been on the census since 1950. Its possible inclusion has raised outcry and constitutional challenges from multiple quarters claiming that a citizenship question could lead to significant underreporting from documented and undocumented immigrant communities. Although the U.S. Census Bureau promises that all census data is confidential and protected by law, many fear data could be shared with other government agencies to target immigrants, punish “sanctuary cities,” and more.
The 2020 census also amplifies pre-existing distrust of the government. The NAACP and other groups have challenged in court the inadequate preparation for the census due to underfunding and understaffing, which risks undercounting communities of color across the country. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the wake of the 2016 presidential election raise additional concerns as to whether and how an accurate counting will be obtained. In the age of Cambridge Analytica, Facebook, and Russian bots, concerns about privacy and data manipulation on a national level resonate widely. The move to promote a primarily online response also raises questions about accessibility for homeless and housing-insecure individuals.
What are the pros and cons of these competing views of the census? Is the census an opportunity for gerrymandering on a national level?
The U.S. Constitution mandates a national census every 10 years. The same section of the Constitution counts an enslaved African as three-fifths of a person. The so-called “Three-Fifths Compromise,” fabricated during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, prevailed in census counts for nearly 80 years, until after the end of slavery.
The Three-Fifths Compromise adjusted theological anthropology for the sake of political power, treating black personhood as a political football to settle a power grab between the antebellum North and South. This moral calculus says at least as much, if not more than, the statistical demographic data garnered by the first eight censuses about the nation at that time.
As Christians, we should look to the larger issues around the census—and not just the 2020 census results—to paint a portrait of the nation. Luke’s gospel reminds us that Jesus was born during an imperial census. This detail points to the power of empire and reminds us that God’s love personified subverts this power, heralding a new way of counting people. The foundation of a moral approach to the 2020 census starts with a commitment to upholding the personhood of all.
Jeania Ree V. Moore is a writer, United Methodist deacon, and doctoral student in religious studies and African American studies at Yale University.
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