‘We need to count you.’ Pa. Second Lady Gisele Fetterman promotes 2020 census at Penn State
Growing up as an undocumented immigrant, Gisele Barreto Fetterman said she was encouraged to be “invisible,” but now, the second lady of Pennsylvania has adopted a different message.
“Every Pennsylvanian counts.”
As part of a statewide Census 2020 tour, Fetterman, the wife of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, participated in a panel at Penn State on Wednesday to discuss the importance of tallying everyone living in the United States. The count, which takes place starting April 1, determines how much federal funding and grants municipalities and states receive, as well as how congressional districts are drawn. Fetterman’s statewide tour will run through March 24 and targets “hard to count” areas.
“There is power in counting you, and there are results in that,” Fetterman said. “There’s assistance in that. There’s support in that.”
Fetterman was joined by State College Borough Communications Specialist Douglas Shontz, Centre County United Way Executive Director Wendy Vinhage and Penn State student Mariana Garcia to urge all Centre County residents — including Penn State students — to take part in the count.
Born in Brazil, Fetterman immigrated to the United States as a child and lived undocumented for 15 years. She has dedicated her career to working with underrepresented people as an advocate for access and equity. Because the census plays a role in funding, people who do not get counted are affected by an undercount.
In Centre County, United Way works with 28 area nonprofits and partner agencies. Vinhage said her office has been encouraging its partners to motivate clients to participate in the count.
“They really are hands-on with the clients they serve,” Vinhage said. “Everyone from people with intellectual disabilities, to mental health diagnoses, people who are in poverty or on the brink, also we have an international population that are served, especially with helping their literacy skills.”
The census is also used to measure population demographics like age, sex, race, migration, housing conditions, veteran status, language and poverty. One of the biggest myths associated with the count, Fetterman said, is that the information reported by residents will be used against them.
“Back then, I was afraid of every knock on the door,” she said. “I thought they would take my family ... I understand now the importance of that and how it is completely protected. Your information is anonymous. It’s pulled together to provide results ... but it’s not information that can be used against you in any way. It can only be used to support you.”
To combat “misinformation,” the panelists said case workers and officials need to find ways to connect with residents and build trust, something Schontz said local government can assist with by working with trusted community organizations to promote the benefits of being counted.
“For me, it’s been finding something that connects with each person, personalizing it,” Fetterman said. “When I share numbers, that really connects with a lot of people.”
For every person counted in the census, states are awarded an average of $2,100 per year for 10 years, Fetterman said.
“Those numbers are fixed, and they can’t change within that time,” she said.
Centre County Government, the State College and Bellefonte boroughs and Penn State have formed Complete Count Committees that are dedicated to achieving a “complete count” in the 2020 census. Partnering with community agencies and organizations, Commissioner Michael Pipe said Centre County is dedicated to seeing every resident is counted as part of the census.
During the panel, Garcia said Penn State students should participate in Centre County’s count rather than in their hometown because they spend the majority of the year living in the State College area.
“Penn State has a big role to play in the 2020 census, not just here but also in communities throughout Pennsylvania where the university has campuses,” Provost Nick Jones said. “Historically, college students have been an overlooked and difficult to count population, especially those who live off campus.”
Education and communication is key to a complete count, Fetterman said, adding that she talks about the census to anyone who will listen. Forms will begin arriving in mailboxes in March. Individuals can also respond to the census via telephone at 1-800-354-7271 or online at www.2020census.gov. The count will run through July 31.
“Growing up and feeling truly invisible, as if you didn’t count or matter, and being in a position now to say, I actually did matter as that child — as do all of you,” Fetterman said. “We need to count you.”
