Joseph Hermiz is a PhD candidate and activist in the Assyrian community in the city of Chicago, Illinois
He is a member of the (VOTE ASSYRIAN) project, an initiative started in 2015 trying to increase awareness of the Assyrian community to write (Assyrian) in the 2020 Census form that was distributed to the people living in the USA.
He told SBS that according to the 2010 US Census, the number of Assyrians living in Chicago were fifteen thousand. This number created dissatisfaction among members of the community as for a fact, their number exceeds fifty thousand. He also said that as per Census 2010, total number of Assyrians living in all USA was 103 thousand, again as he said, is a far untrue figure as the community exceeds that number.
Mr Hermiz emphasised on the significance of showing the true figures as that will reflect on the services the government will provide to the community. That includes, more interpreters, fact sheets and forms translation to Assyrian and more specially tailored services to serve the community.
Currently, in the Census form, origin and ethnicity are classified as (people of black or white origin). Assyrians are considered in the white category. But this is a broad spectrum and includes many ethnicities and races.
The aim of VOTE ASSYRIAN is to educate and inform the Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac people living in the US, to write one of these names in the designated box in the Census form.
The government will look at those three different names as (one category) and then services and facilities will be provided as per their total number.
ܪܵܥܝܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܕܫܲܒ݂ܪܹܐ
ܦܣܝܼܩܵܐ ܝܠܹܗ ܩܵܐ ܕܫܲܩܠܝܼ ܩܘܪܒܐ ܕܚܕ݇ ܡܸܠܝܘܿܢܵܐ ܒܲܝܬܘܼܝܵܬܹܐ ܒܩܵܢܝܼ ܪܵܥܝܘܬܵܐ ܕܫܲܒ݂ܪܹܐ ܡܲܓܵܢܲܝܬܵܐ ܠܡܸܬܚܵܐ ܕܟܘܼܪܗܵܢܵܐ ܕܟܘܿܪܘܿܢܵܐ ܦܵܝܪܸܣ. ܬܚܘܬ݇ ܐܲܘܵܐ ܕܘܒܵܪܵܐ ܚܘܟܡܐ ܒܝܲܗܒ݂ܸܠ 50 ܐܲܡܘܿܢܹܐ ܡܢ ܕܲܚܠܵܐ ܕܪ̈ܘܼܫܡܹܐ ܕܐܲܘܵܐ ܩܛܵܥܵܐ ܗܠ ܬܚܘܼܡܵܐ ܥܠܵܝܵܐ ܕܐܲܓܪܵܐ ܕܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐ ܒܢܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܥܲܠ ܙܲܒ݂ܢܵܐ ܕܩܲܕܡ ܕܡܫܵܪܝܼ ܐܵܒ݂ܵܗܹܐ ܕܓܲܪܫܝܼ ܝܵܠܕܲܝܗܝ ܒܡܸܢܝܵܢܵܐ ܓܘܿܒ݂ܪܵܐ . ܡܫܵܪܹܐ ܐܵܘܵܐ ܚܘܼܪܙܵܐ ܡܢ 6 ܒܝܲܪܚܵܐ ܕܢܝܼܣܵܢ.
ܩܵܐ ܙܲܘܕܵܐ ܡܣܘܕܥܵܢܘܼܬܵܐ ܒܠܸܫܵܢܵܐ ܐܸܢܓܠܹܫܵܝܵܐ ܣܵܚܒܸܪ ܠܫܵܘܦܵܐ
