From music to politics to social topics, Cardi B is all about range. The Bronx rapper recently filmed a bi-lingual PSA urging fellow New Yorkers to fill out the 2020 census.
“2020 is a huge opportunity to make our voice heard,” Cardi explains in the PSA released by the NYC Mayor’s Office on Thursday (Marc 26). “This year, we have the power to decide our city’s future, not just for the next four years, but for the next 10 [years], by getting counted in the census.
“The census is about power, money and respect for our communities. If our city is undercounted, we risk being underrepresented, especially [in] our communities of color.”
Cardi pointed out that “only 62%” of New Yorkers responded to the 2010 census, with Black and brown communities making up the lowest response rates. “In 2020, I’mma tell you something, we can’t let this happen again,” she continues. “If you want to stand up to the status quo, and defy people in power who want to silence us, start by getting counted in the census.”
Cardi goes on to note that citizenship questions are not apart of the census questioning. “Immigrants with or without papers count too.”
Census results help to determine how billions of dollars in federal funding will be dispersed into states and communities every year. The respondent’s answer are kept confidential and will be used to “produce statistics,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau website.
Watch Cardi’s english PSA in the video above, and the Spanish version below.