Atlanta mayor hosts 2020 Census block party

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has started the push to have every Atlanta counted.

On Saturday, Bottoms and the Atlanta Complete County Committee hosted a 2020 Census block party and job fair.

It's part of an ongoing year-long campaign to help educate and prepare Atlanta residents for the Census.

Organizers held the event in the historic Mechanicsville neighborhood in part because it's been an undercounted area in the past.

"This is extremely important," Bottoms said. "This is our year of education – the actual count is next year."

Bottoms said the Census matters because it determines how the city gets money to fix roadways, build community centers, and support local hospitals, among other benefits.

Rapper 21 Savage, who recently donated $25,000 to the Southern Poverty Law Center, also attended the event.