Jackson, Sharpton urge census outreach

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MEMPHIS, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Areas of the United States with large minority and immigrant populations will be underserved by the U.S. Census, advocates predicted.

African-American leaders including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton delivered that message during a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who will be responsible the 2010 Census count, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported Sunday.

The newspaper said Locke proposed during the meeting to increase the Census Bureau's proposed budget for reaching minorities through paid advertising.

"Say you have a child 2 years old, or 3 years old -- if you don't get that child counted, it impacts the education system by the time that child gets to school," Melanie Campbell, director of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the Unity Diaspora Coalition, told the Commercial Appeal.

Jackson reportedly said that the families of prison inmates are unfairly penalized because prisoners aren't counted as residents of their true neighborhoods.