Beloved Queens institutions team up for last-gasp Census push

The Queens Night Market may be closed, but founder John Wang is teaming up with other beloved borough institutions to encourage Queens residents to complete the census. Photo courtesy of Queens Night Market

By David Brand

With Queens’ census self-response rate lagging, some of the borough’s favorite institutions are teaming up for one last participation push ahead of a potential Sept. 30 deadline.

Queens Museum, Queens Public Library and the Queens Night Market will participate in “Queens Get Counted!,” a major virtual and in-person event to encourage census participation across the borough on Sept. 26.

Since COVID forced the Queens Night Market to close, founder John Wang and his team have shifted their focus to community issues, including census completion. Queens’ 60 percent self-response rate trails the state’s 62 percent rate, as well as the nationwide 65.5 percent rate. 

“We spent the first few months of the pandemic feeding healthcare workers, then the next few months focused on city recovery efforts, and now we’re very enthusiastic about working with amazing partners on urgent and critical census efforts,” Wang said.

The Association for a Better New York, led by Queens native Melva Miller, helped to organize the Sept. 26 event, which will take place online from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and outside the Queens Museum from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

“The best way to raise awareness about the importance of the 2020 Census is to do what Queens does best: celebrate diverse cuisine and culture,” Miller said. “This socially distant event is a great way to have fun with friends and family while helping our local neighborhoods get the money, power and resources we deserve.”

To complete the Census, visit 2020census.gov — It takes less than 10 minutes!