After more than a century devoted to transporting at least four generations of Detroiters – school children, church and civic groups, and hundreds of thousands of tourists –Columbia seemed destined for the scrapyard. Thanks to a collective of Detroit- and New York-based historic preservationists, maritime engineers, historians, and civic leaders, Columbia emerged from the decaying edge of River Rouge and will begin a hopeful new life of service to people all over the world.

On behalf of the SS Columbia Project, I organized and managed this video, titled A People’s History of Columbia, to document stories of Detroiters (and one Canadian!) whose lives were touched by the SS Columbia in distinct, yet convergent, ways. This included organizing outreach to gather stories and memories from the public, hiring videographer, scheduling filmed interviews, and overseeing postproduction.

The video accompanied  Columbia as part of its permanent programming as she moved on from Michigan to New York state.