Last week, letters from Oakland youth about the importance of filling out census forms were highlighted. This week, we hear from young people across the Bay.

The Census has sent out the latest numbers on local mail participation rates and it shows Oakland third lowest among Bay Area cities, only topping Emeryville and East Palo Alto.

Although Oakland has a 52 percent census ‘Mail Participation Rate,’ the data tells another story about civic participation.

Oakland Rising has officially kicked off our “Yes We Count” Census program this month and we want you to be counted, too. There also are big political implications of the Census that you may care about. An accurate count will ensure more authenticity in our local democracy when city, county and state political districts are re-drawn in 2011. By insuring the low income communities of color fill out and return their Census form, we can help Oakland City Council districts become more racially and economically diverse.