The Columbia Pike Documentary Project invites us to encounter one of the most diverse communities in the world. With people speaking over a hundred languages living together with little in the way of ethnic enclaves, Columbia Pike in Arlington offers what may be a unique experience in diversity.
In this 18-minute podcast episode, I interview project team members Sushmita Mazumdar, Dewey Tron, and Lloyd Wolf about what drives them to document life on the Pike in videos, books, talks, and exhibitions. This episode has some great stories and insights about how a living diversity can make public life richer.
Above: Columbia Pike at Walter Reed during the 2024 Columbia Pike Blues Festival
Now in its 18th year, the documentary project has other goals besides letting the world beyond Columbia Pike in on this life-changing diverse community. The project
Holds a mirror to the various neighborhoods of Columbia Pike to help them understand themselves another way—as a single, beautiful community
Welcomes immigrants and validates their place in our society
Celebrates the activities of the various nationalities along Columbia Pike
Documents the Pike’s constantly shifting demographics and changing streetscapes for future research
Above: my students work with materials on the walls from the Columbia Pike Documentary Project
Here are some resources about Columbia Pike and the Columbia Pike Documentary Project, most of which are referred to in the podcast:
The Columbia Pike Documentary Project website
The Columbia Pike Documentary Project video
Website for the book Transitions: The Columbia Pike Documentary Project
Website for the book Columbia Pike Recipes for Recovery: Restaurant Stories from Around the World in One Zip Code
The City of Stories project webpage
Above: Columbia Pike Plaza
Music and sound effects used with permission from BBC Sound Effects. bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2025 BBC.
My thanks to Lloyd Wolf, Dewey Tron, and Sushmita Mazumdar for the generous gift of their time, stories, and insights.
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