On the seventh episode of her Power Women series, Schneps Media President and Publisher Victoria Schneps interviews Julie Menin, New York City census director and executive assistant corporation counsel for strategic advocacy.
During their chat, Menin talks about her upbringing in Washington, D.C., how her mother’s brave story of coming the United States influenced her and how big of an impact her position will have in the upcoming census.
Menin’s positions with the city are diverse, but go hand in hand, taking on issues such as voting rights, disenfranchisement, gerrymandering and other things connected to the census.
She has held numerous titles over her career, including attorney, redistricting commissioner, the head of consumer affairs in New York City, commissioner of the Mayor’s office on media and entertainment, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and many others.
The 2020 Census will have a huge impact on the future of the city and Menin will have her say in how the citizens of New York are treated, including the controversial “citizenship question.”
“Our fear is that it’s really an attempt to suppress immigrants and we’re a city that is 38 percent immigrants,” she said. “We’re not going to stand for this and we’re going to stand up and fight for this.
Menin wants to make people aware of how important the census is to the allocation of over $800 billion in government funding.
“If we have an undercount and people don’t fill out the census, we’re going to lose funding for public schools, public housing, senior citizens, health care… so many programs that are important to New Yorkers,” she said.
She wants people to stand up to the government by taking their five minutes and filling out the census.
“We have to make sure that New York City gets the funding it deserves, it’s rightfully ours,” Menin says.