The census is coming. For Black prisoners, this means being exploited again by white, small towns.
The 2010 census is a critical one not only for African Americans but also to prove every person should be counted, no ifs, ands or buts. The problem is what to do about the astronomical number of Black prisoners the census counts in towns with prisons, often far from their homes.
Benjamin Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the last census in 2000 undercounted African Americans by about 3 percent.
This may not seem like much, but when Blacks compose only 13.4 percent of the nation's population, a 3 percent change can mean a lot. This is especially true considering we make up some of the largest, hardest groups to count, including children, impoverished, elderly and homeless.
As one of the most economically disparaged racial groups, the Black community can receive very positive results if the census is taken properly. The census bureau lists numerous benefits from the survey, including representation in the House of Representatives and allocation of more than $400 billion each year for new infrastructure such as hospitals and schools. Florida has even set aside $2 million to advertise primarily for minorities to participate in the census.
Most importantly, it can determine the redrawing of district lines for voting and representation purposes.
All of these would benefit the Black community, and it seems hard to find any negatives.
Though, it's important to remember the following facts. MSNBC reports that Blacks in 2006 composed 41 percent of the 2 million prisoners in this country. The Justice Department says that 10.4 percent of Black males between the ages of 25 and 29 are incarcerated, and about 9 percent of the total Black population is under a form of correctional supervision.
Aside from sheer shock about the astounding number of incarcerated Black Americans, let's consider where these incarcerated people are held. In fact, where these prisons are located is important because we must consider who really benefits from prisoners being counted where they are incarcerated.
Most prison communities are small, rural areas with a small population. These small towns benefit twofold from the presence of a prison. Residents of these towns with prisons can receive employment through prisons. Every 10 years, with the growing rate of imprisonment and the way the census counts prisoners, redistricting works in these small towns' favor. They receive unfair representation.
This is pure gerrymandering. The total number of prisoners is used as a way of drawing district lines and offering unfair representation to a small amount of people.
There are 16 correctional facilities in Southern Ohio alone. The closest, the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville, serves five counties in this region. The jail provides 364 jobs to the Nelsonville area. There are 622 Black inmates, 862 white inmates and 13 classified as other in the jail.
Nelsonville's Black population is about 2 percent. If the city counted these 1,497 inmates in their population via the census, how would their district lines be drawn and how much power would Nelsonville have?
The Black community loses from this situation. With a 3 percent deficit in the 2000 census and such a large majority of this population, the Black community loses some voting rights when a part of its population is attributed to largely white small towns.
If this continues, funds never will be allocated properly to Blacks, especially not to schools and community initiatives. This is where funds are sorely needed.
We need a solution to this redistricting by the next census in 2020. Otherwise the invisibility of prisons will affect another generation of Black children and families.
Aisha Upton is a senior studying African American Studies and columnist for The Post. Yell at her about prisoners at au173107@ohiou.edu
4 Opinion
Aisha Upton
