MOCA Pivots Census Outreach by Partnering with Grocery Stores

Undeterred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is stepping up its U.S. Census outreach in historically undercounted areas, with its newest initiatives focused on the Sunset Park and Bensonhurst neighborhoods in Brooklyn. With person-to-person direct outreach severely hampered by the pandemic, MOCA is now partnering with grocery store owners in these neighborhoods to help with census outreach.

Asian Americans comprise 43% of Sunset Park East and 32% of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Since March 2020, MOCA has pivoted its census outreach strategy in various ways including phone banking in English, Mandarin and Cantonese to residents in Sunset Park and Bensonhurst, and a Chinese-language social media outreach campaign on WeChat to remind them to complete the Census. While the self-response rate has slowly increased to 31% and 35%, respectively, in these two neighborhoods, they are still behind the current national response rate of 53.2% and New York State response rate of 47.4%.

To aid in census outreach, MOCA has researched and identified several grocery stores in these two neighborhoods whose foot traffic predominately consists of Chinese-speaking local residents and has secured the agreement of eight stores so far. These include two Ace Market locations; Dong Sheng Food, Inc.; and Jmart in Bensonhurst; and Fei Long Market, I Fresh Market, Forum Supermarket, and Good Fortune Supermarket in Sunset Park. These stores have agreed to be distribution points for MOCA-designed census outreach flyers in English and traditional Chinese to communicate to shoppers the importance of completing the U.S. Census.

These bilingual flyers in English and Chinese will be placed in each grocery bag when people buy groceries. The flyer explains the critical relationship between COVID-19 and the 2020 Census, particularly the number of vaccines when approved and tests that will be distributed to states based on population numbers.

"With grocery stores being one of the only places still open to the public, they are now the census messengers on the front lines," said Nancy Yao Maasbach, President of MOCA. "We look forward to partnering with grocery store owners in this critical outreach."

"The Census is about our future. When we plan for how many vaccines a neighborhood needs, or how many new kindergarteners schools should prepare for, we use census data. Chinese-American communities across New York City, in places like Sunset Park and Chinatown, need to be fully counted in the census in order for us to build a stronger, better future," said Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020.

"I believe we must reach out and advertise to as many people as possible about the Census 2020. It is very important to have everyone accounted for to receive the maximum funding for our neighborhood," said Nancy Tong, 47th Assembly District Leader in Brooklyn, which includes Bensonhurst.

"The Census plays an essential role in our democracy, determining political representation and the distribution of federal funding for New Yorkers," said Linda E. Johnson, Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO. "From bus routes to hospitals and possibly even COVID-19 medication, the census data is critical to determining our future. With libraries closed, by working together with grocery stores and cultural institutions we can ensure every person is counted."

"Our supermarkets would love to help MOCA with census outreach. During this COVID-19 epidemic, the best and safest way to reach the public is to include flyers as we are bagging their groceries," said Michelle Li, Store Manager of Ace Market and Dong Sheng Food, Inc.

In Manhattan, MOCA's stepped-up outreach efforts included partnering with UA3 and Chung Pak Senior Center on their successful food banks in April. Several hundred food bags delivered to residents throughout Chinatown contained MOCA's census flyers.

MOCA is also engaging with the Chinese-speaking community in New York City through WeChat, with posts on topics such as the importance of census data for healthcare and guidance to immigrant communities on census self-completion. Future posts will include how census data affects the quality of education and how to avoid scammers pretending to be census workers.

To counter the hate that has surfaced against Asian American Pacific Islanders due to the outbreak of COVID-19, MOCA has established the MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection ("OneWorld Collection") documenting the proactive steps and incredible acts of generosity and support exhibited by the Chinese in America and the Chinese diaspora during this challenging time.

As MOCA joins alongside AAPI organizations to document all reported acts of discrimination against Asian American Pacific Islanders due to COVID-19, the Museum's OneWorld Collection will document the efforts of those who are raising money, procuring or donating personal protective equipment (PPE), and making efforts to reinforce the importance of one world.

MOCA is inviting the public to send a write-up and photos to oneworld@mocanyc.org, with the subject line Submission for MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection, to share a story that they believe should be recorded and documented. Participants will be asked to tell us how they, their association, or their community group organized to help during the current crisis.