John: on Saturday, we had a census event in the Bronx. Beautiful. The team was strong and we were reaching the people.

Almost every Black woman I spoke to had already filled out the census, while many of the Black men had not, or had not even heard of the census. So I decided I needed to talk with my brothers.

I reached out to a few Black men I know throughout the district, asking them to join me to learn about the census at my old school, with the message: "Black men, show the government how powerful you are. Complete the census."

I started making calls at 3 PM. At 6 PM, this is what we got.

Saturday's events were so inspiring, because folks came together to make a stand for our community and build fellowship, particularly around one of the most critical issues right now: making sure everyone fills out the census.

And just last week, our team rolled out a new digital ad to reach even more folks in our communities about the importance of filling out the census, because this is essential. It's a critical part of our census outreach plan, and we're hoping to make our first ad buy soon.

This is where you come in: we need your help to pull off our plan for the census. So far, we've raised $36,025 this month. To fully fund our census outreach plan, we need to double that amount by September 16th.

Help us fight for transformative change for our communities by contributing $5 to our Census Outreach Fund right now.

On top of the digital ads, we're also:

• Organizing virtual phone banks
• Planning relational programs to help people mobilize their friends
• Setting up tabling events
• Printing important informational pamphlets and literature about the census

This is critical, John. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in resources for our communities that are at stake. We can secure those resources for our schools, health care, and community services — but only if we reach everyone to fill out the census.

If we pull off this plan, we can make sure that our communities no longer suffer through poverty. We can uplift each other, and accomplish so much with our collective and concerted energy and focus.

Add your contribution right now — before September 16th. Every dollar helps us reach more people about the census.

Peace and love,

Jamaal Bowman