LCWR, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, is committed to helping ensure that the 2020 Census counts each and every person living in this country. Current circumstances including political polarization, fearmongering, anti-immigrant sentiment, and COVID-19 are enormous barriers to getting an accurate count. As a trusted voice in the community, women religious can help to ensure a complete and accurate count.

We know that in past, millions of children, people of color, low-income Americans, and immigrants have gone uncounted. We know that this undercount has perpetuated systemic injustice, undermined political representation, and resulted in the underfunding of resources including, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure and even preparation for critical health emergencies, like COVID-19.

In these difficult times, people of faith have an opportunity to help ensure the right of every person to be counted. We believe that all people are created in God’s image, all have inherent dignity and we know that all have the right to be counted.

Shape the future of your congregation, neighborhood, and community by supporting the 2020 Census. Over the next 10 years, data from the 2020 Census will inform the
distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds each year that support education, health care, emergency services, housing and food assistance, and more.

In August 2020, census workers will begin visiting households that have not responded to the census to help ensure that everyone is counted. Members of your community can minimize the need for census takers to follow up in person by responding to the census now—online, by phone, or by mail. The Census Bureau has made adjustments to its 2020 Census operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can visit the 2020 Census Operational Adjustments page  for details.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has about 1350 members, who represent nearly 80 percent of the approximately 44,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, the conference assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.