Dawson, Valderrama Cut Census PSAs For MTV Tr3s, Voto Latino
Spots Aim To Raise Awareness For The Count, Dispel Myths About 2010 Census Initiatives
MTV Tr3s and Voto Latino want to make the 2010 U.S. Census count.
The bicultural network, which is available to 7 million Hispanic and 38 million general-market homes, and the non-partisan, non-profit civic engagement organization have jointly produced a series of public service announcements aimed at raising awareness for the census initiatives and debunking the myths surrounding it.
The spots, which have begun airing, feature leading Latino film, TV and music personalities such as Wilmer Valderrama, Ana Ortiz, Luis Guzmán, Jorge Garcia, Graciela Beltrán, Malverde and Voto Latino founder, Rosario Dawson. In addition to emphasizing the importance of the 2010 Census, they aspire to dispel many of the circulating falsehoods by providing a direct look at what is "the truth," and what is "not true."
"MTV Tr3s is always in direct dialogue with the bilingual/bicultural Latino youth in the United States," said MTV Tr3s general manager/executive vice president José Tillán in a statement. "As a result of these conversations with our audience, we have made the Census 2010 one of the key social responsibility initiatives of the channel. MTV Tr3s is very happy to partner on this initiative with Voto Latino, an organization that has lead the efforts in empowering and educating the Latino community on numerous important issues."
"By partnering with MTV Tr3s, who are at the forefront of Latino youth culture, we seek to reach and empower our audience, who are the gatekeepers in most Latino immigrant households," said Dawson. "They open the mail, pay the bills and make key household decisions. Participation is crucial, and the act of not participating translates to an estimated loss of 10K per person in federal funds until the next census. I encourage everyone to watch these PSAs and then take the census pledge!"