From RaceWire:

Due to language and social barriers, undocumented immigrants are prone to being severely undercounted, which is at the heart of the controversy surrounding the 2010 census. Although a fuller count would not resolve the unmet needs that burden the undocumented population (there's even division in the Latino community over the value of the census), the Drum Major Institute argues that better numbers are crucial for accurately targeting government resources and services.

Census data drives distribution of funding for schools and health care and informs local decisions on public transportation, district division, etc. The Census could potentially erase the immigrant population politically, even as they're still affected by policy-making. The fact is that immigrants are part of the diverse demographic landscape of the United States and can't be "ignored away" by the Census. Immigrant women of color, a historically ignored population, already face a tenuous economic status, and could also become politically invisible through an inaccurate census.

Read the full article here.

This week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization, dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the US, released its 20th annual Kids Count report on child poverty. Read the data brief here.

Among their recommendations, they strongly support an update on the current poverty measure:

"It is more critical now than ever to have accurate data that show how American families are faring in the current economic downturn and have systems that are equipped to use this information to improve the well-being of those children and families most in need." (Brief)

Visit our Campaign website to read more about the WOCPN's efforts to encourage an updated poverty measure and to include your support.

From The American Prospect, another exploration of the recent raise in the minimum wage and its effect on women workers:

Our stagnant minimum wage is one of the most significant reasons why women across our economy continue to receive low wages. Even before the recession, women's incomes were absolutely critical for keeping families afloat. Now, with the difference between male and female unemployment at a half-century high, it's an issue we can no longer afford to ignore.

Read the full entry here.