Highlights:

2020 Census

Have you been COUNTED yet? Your community is counting on you to fill out the 2020 Census questionnaire to ensure an equitable Virginia #forallofus. 

Remember, there are 3 ways to fill out your Census questionnaire this year: 

• Fill out your questionnaire online here: https://www.my2020Census.gov,
• Fill out your questionnaire via phone by calling the Census Bureau at (844) 330-2020 or,
• Fill out your questionnaire by mail when the 3rd reminder is sent with the paper questionnaire and postage ready envelope. 

Need language assistance? Click here to go to the Census Bureau’s website for Language Support in 59 additional languages.

Share this message with your friends to make sure they are counted too! #2020Census #CounMeInVA 

Here are some resources to help:

• Explore a sample census form and learn about the kind of questions that will be asked on the 2020 census.
• Make a plan to participate online. This is the first year that households will be able to take the census online. Households will be able to complete the online questionnaire starting in mid-March. Don’t fret, here’s a video that walks you through the process.
• Or make a plan to participate by mail. In mid-March, households will begin receiving official U.S. Census Bureau mailings with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 census. Simply follow these guidelines and mail your form back.
• Participate in the census using the language that is the most comfortable for you. As households in the United States speak a variety of languages, the Census Bureau is providing multiple ways to help households respond in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and more.
• Make sure the census is accessible for you. People with disabilities have historically been hard to count within the census, and so there are a number of new and improved resources to make the process more accessible.

The census is completely confidential. The census is a count of everyone in the United States, no matter your immigration status, and your information is completely confidential. Read all about it here.

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Updates
March 30, 2020–Governor Ralph Northam issued a statewide Stay at Home order to protect the health and safety of Virginians and mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The executive order takes effect immediately and will remain in place until June 10, 2020, unless amended or rescinded by a further executive order.

The order directs all Virginians to stay home except in extremely limited circumstances. Individuals may leave their residence for allowable travel, including to seek medical attention, work, care for family or household members, obtain goods and services like groceries, prescriptions, and others as outlined in Executive Order Fifty-Three, and engage in outdoor activity with strict social distancing requirements. Read more. 

► Governor Northam passed Executive Order 53 which orders statewide closure of certain non-essential businesses, K-12 schools and bans public gatherings of more than 10 people. Read the full order here. 

► On March 25th, the US Senate passed a $2 Trillion Stimulus Package. Read more about the details of the Senate proposal here.

► Student loan payments suspended for six months under the Senate bill. The bill offers an additional benefit for those borrowers seeking loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, for example. Those borrowers should still see their debt wiped away after 10 years, without being penalized for not making payments over the next six months. Read More Here.

► Our Partners at Progress Virginia have compiled a comprehensive list of School Food Programs here. 

► [Northern VA] NAKASEC provides information in English, Korean, and Vietnamese about COVID-19 testing, unemployment insurance, food distribution by schools and nonprofit organizations, small business and non-profit loan assistance, eviction suspensions, utility shut-offs, etc. Visit the page to stay updated as more resources develop.

CARES Act Resources

• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): Understanding the Impact of Key Provisions of COVID-19 Relief Bills on Immigrant Communities
• Immigration Hub, NILC, SEIU, CLASP: Two-Page Summary of COVID-19 Package #3
• United We Dream: Top 5 Things You Need to Know About The COVID-19 Stimulus Package (Also in Spanish)
• Center for Popular Democracy: Am I Eligible? Immigration-Related Eligibility Requirements for Benefits Under New Federal Laws (Also in Spanish)
• Church World Service: COVID-19 Legislation: Quick Facts and Analysis for Refugees and Resettlement Offices

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Upcoming Events

Earth Month Webinar: Your Sneak Peek!

April 3, 2020: An Earth Month Sneak Peek from VAIPL Staff. We have some exciting plans for Earth Month and we want to share them with you! Our first webinar is an introductory session on what Earth Month looks like at VAIPL and how you can get involved and mark this important time to celebrate Creation (even during this coronavirus outbreak). Register now for the first in our series of Earth Month webinars!

Letter to the Editor Training

April 4, 2020: Honor Lent, Omer & Ramadan by creating awareness about environmental justice through the power of your pen. Even when stuck at home, you can still be an advocate for Creation. Let’s spend this time together as a community, reflecting and advocating for our common home, especially during this sacred time of Lent and as we are approaching Omer and Ramadan, which begin in April. 

Candid Conversations with VAIPL

Every Monday in April starting April 6th: Candid Conversations w/ Virginia Interfaith Power & Light is a weekly Facebook Live with VAIPL staff.  This is a time for VAIPL staff to share some of their thoughts on faith and the environment, to share how we are staying hopeful and keeping sane, and to chat and catch up with you directly via social media during Earth Month and this coronavirus crisis.

Reproductive Healthcare Services during COVID-19 Virtual Townhall

April 9, 2020: Join NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia and many of the amazing organizations and clinics from across the state, receive vital information in this difficult time.

A General Assembly Environmental Justice Recap

April 10, 2020: We had an exciting General Assembly session this year, with two of our priority bills passing both the House and Senate. Our 2nd webinar revolves around the General Assembly Session. VAIPL Director Kendyl Crawford will give you an inside scoop of what happened in the General Assembly and how Environmental Justice bills came became priorities for many legislators. 

Black Maternal Health Panel Webinar! 

April 16, 2020: Hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice-Virginia, Richmond Doula Project, Birth in Color RVA 

Stopping Fossil Fuels in VA 

April 17, 2020: A discussion on the issue of fossil fuels in Virginia. Our third webinar of Earth Month series is a discussion with Geran Lorrain, VAIPL’s Faith Community Outreach Coordinator on stopping fossil fuels in Virginia. Fossil fuel is one of the biggest threats to climate and its about time that we say no to fossil fuels once and for all.

Caring for the Planet During Ramadan

April 24, 2020: A discussion on Ramadan and creation care. At the beginning of the Islamic Holy month Ramadan, we are bringing a discussion on how Ramadan is an amazing time of the year to care for the planet. Join our steering committee member Aliya Farooq, a Muslim Environmental Justice activist as she shares her thoughts on caring for the planet during Ramadan.