How Can I be Sure?
LOS ANGELES—There were days that were good. Days when I would have these amazing conversations where I was trying to get people to open...
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Hell Yeah!
COVINGTON, LA.--Nobody was home at the house I went to enumerate, so policy requires us to try and get the information by finding a...
A Lesson in Humanity
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla.--I just got my first case marked "Dangerous" today. There were warning notes about confederate flags and "Forget...
Luck is Underestimated
SEATTLE--I grew up as an urban, educated, white, upper middle-class male. With the census, I had a chance to talk with people who were...
Homeless Night--"I really worry about an undercount."
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES--I was in a car with a supervisor and three women. The supervisor was not awful but not very good. He also backed...
A Dad-Bod with Super Tan Butt Cheeks
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DESERT—So let me tell you what happened yesterday. This was my third time visiting these crossroads. It’s like 18...
On Being Black
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla--Every time I've had cases in a predominantly Black area I've been switched the next day. I'm a Black guy. ...
Two Totally Different Days
RIO RANCHO, N.M.--I am totally glad that I decided to do this. I had worked for the 2010 Census and found it challenging and enjoyable,...
Devastation
SALEM, Ore.--I live about 25 miles away from the Beachie Creek fire, and on this day in October, there were two more fires threatening. ...
Mrs. M & Hurricane Sally
MOBILE, Ala.--Of all the people I interviewed for the census, Mrs. M. is one that sticks out the most. I still visit her. She's an...
SHIM
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio--We, the enumerators were generally assigned to our local area, and, after the first day or so, you kind of picked up on...
My Story
By Maryann Hudson LOS ANGELES--I have lived in Southern California most of my life, grew up in the city of Pomona and one day fled to the...
No Waves or Ripples in the World, They Just Fade Away...
FARMING COUNTRY, Wash.—One time I had two derelict houses in Eastern Washington state farmland on a dirt road that only had a handful of...
Bit by a Recluse Spider/ER Visits & a Woman with No Pants On...
NEW HAMPSHIRE, GEORGIA, MISSISSIPPI--I started in New Hampshire and did a lot of vacation homes around the lakes, up in the mountains and...
A Well-Deserved Martini
WESTSIDE LOS ANGELES--I ended up lasting only three weeks as an enumerator (formal job name for census taker). The problem wasn't the...
Becoming Whole
UPSTATE NEW YORK --On the census form there is a question about heritage. I was adopted, and later in life I found my birth mother by...
The Great Divide
PUEBLO, Colo.--So my favorite story happened in Colorado. I flew there in September as part of a strike team to get the numbers up in...
Next Government Person Gets Shot
CENTRAL INDIANA--I had mostly rural assignments in Central Indiana. The majority were incident free, or simply people who did not answer...
The Hermit
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS--I was given an address to enumerate high up in the hills above Malibu. Using Google Maps, I could see that it was...
Awaiting Trial in Baltimore
BALTIMORE—Walked into a neighborhood to enumerate after parking on a main road. When I returned, I saw a man standing by my vehicle...
Building Confidence in Arkansas
ARKANSAS--When the Bureau called with a job offer I basically had a panic attack and told them that I changed my mind and didn't want to...
Southern Hospitality...and A Glock
GEORGETOWN, GA-- Toward mid-October a heavily drunk guy who lived in the woods told a census worker who was interviewing him that all of...
The Look on Their Faces…
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla.—Post Hurricane Sally I was assigned cases at the beach. It was very emotional and difficult to knock on doors, make...
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