About “District Crossroads”
District Crossroads is a podcast miniseries about the neighborhoods and neighbors in and around DC’s major intersections. This podcast expands the ways that the Office of Planning engages with District residents and documents a portion of the area’s past and present while looking toward the future. The following episodes were created from interviews conducted as part of the North Capitol Crossroads Oral History Project, which will soon be available on the the DC Public Library’s database.
DC Residents Featured in
District Crossroads
Tony Norman is an attorney who has served as a neighborhood leader and activist for over 30 years in the Pleasant Plains, Bloomingdale, and the Howard University area. He has also served on multiple civic associations, and represented both civic groups and individuals in several cases against colleges and universities in DC as well as the DC and federal government around the proposed development of land, notably around McMillan Reservoir.
Juanita Haynes was a gardener at Wangari Gardens beginning in 2012. She is a DC resident who lived and worked in the District as well as Virginia. Juanita’s experiences at Wangari are connected to the North Capital Crossroads Project as a nearby cultural site, and her experiences working at the garden are part of the history of the area.
Robert Malesky manages the history blog Bygone Brookland, and moved to the neighborhood in 1970. His blog documents the history of the neighborhood focusing on areas such as the migration of Black and White residents, land ownership, transit, and civic association activity in the neighborhood.
Umair Ahsan purchased a home in the North Capitol Crossroads area in 2016. After moving, Umair installed benches made from a retrofitted bathtub at the bus stop in front of his property. Umair also hired Pakistani truck artist Haider Ali to decorate the benches with traditional Pakistani artwork.
Mary Hayes attended Trinity Washington University in the 1960s, and has served in a variety of positions at the college beginning in the 60’s and continuing today. She both lived in the area of North Capitol Crossroads as a student, and has decades of experience working at the college as the neighborhood around it grows and changes.
Richard Myers grew up in Maryland, living and working throughout the region. While working at Howard University, Richard participated in a program offered by the University and HUD to provide financial assistance to staff purchasing homes in LeDroit Park. Richard also participated in neighborhood groups like the Common Good City Farm and the LeDroit Park Civic Association.
Lewis Maiden is a resident of the North Capitol Crossroads area from his childhood in the 1950’s to present day. His personal history is connected to the area and the changes it experienced over the last seventy years, as well as specific sites within the area such as the Old Soldier’s Home and President Lincoln's Cottage.
Chrissy Thompson is a neighborhood resident and serves as the Friends of the Soldiers Home (FOSH) volunteer coordinator and board member.
Misty Frey maintains a plot at Wangari Gardens in the larger North Capitol Crossroads area, as well as working with garden managers on events and educational opportunities.
Podcast host, Bridget Todd (r), recording at Wangari Gardens.