Macedonian-American Organizations Form 2010 U.S. Census Coalition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 14, 2009 – It’s time for all Macedonians to stand up and be counted. 

For the first time, this is possible as leaders from major Macedonian organizations in the United States are committed to seeing that each Macedonian is counted in the 2010 U.S. Census, which begins in January.   To accomplish this goal, they formed the Macedonian American 2010 Census Project Coalition.

 A critical component of empowering the Macedonian community in the U.S. is an accurate count.  Like many other ethnic groups, Macedonians traditionally have been undercounted leading to a diminished sense of representation within American society.

Showing the growth of the Macedonian-American community will translate into increased influence and recognition within American society. With an accurate reflection of the number of Macedonians in America, doors will open to a variety of public, civic and private sector services that rely on census data for economic and social assessments.  Furthermore, researchers in many fields use census data to study trends in a myriad of fields dealing with a variety of issues.

The coalition will work to reach every Macedonian household, to educate them of the importance of participating in the Census, to assure them the information provided to the Census is confidential by law and to urge them to respond in a consistent manner to questions relating to race, ethnicity and national origin.

Beginning in January, each household will receive a Census questionnaire. To be counted simply check “white” under Question 9, and manually write-in “Macedonian” where it asks for some other race.

Members of the coalition are Macedonian American Cultural Organization of New England, Macedonian American Friendship Association, Macedonian Arts Council, Macedonian Mission for Humanity, Macedonian Patriotic Organization, Macedonian   Orthodox Philanthropic Society of Columbus, Ohio, and United Macedonian Diaspora.  The American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese, the unitary body of over 26 Macedonian Orthodox parish communities in the United States, has given its blessing to the joint action. 

Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Atseff (USA retired), a first generation born Macedonian-American, has been selected as Director of the Coalition.  The idea for the joint venture was proposed at the Friends of Macedonia Forum, which he chaired in October 2008 at the Embassy of Macedonia in Washington, D.C.

Watch for more details as they unfold in your favorite organization’s newspaper, magazine or website.  For more information about the Coalition, e-mail 2010Census@umdiaspora.org.