First Person - Incite at Columbia University
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News
First Person
Jun 24, 2026 - Author Alex Boncy
In February, Columbia’s Incite Institute opened the Obama Presidency Oral History archive to the public. The product of nearly seven years’ work, it contains more than 450 interviews with administration officials as well as activists, organizers and everyday people who interacted with President Barack Obama in meaningful ways. The result is a rich and insightful record of the 44th President’s two terms in office. Readers of this magazine, of course, also know him as a member of the Class of 1983.
We were curious, however, about the other College alumni in the archive. Who contributed recollections, and what roles did they play in Obama’s story?
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go to Telling Our Own Stories: Inside the Movements Against Mass Incarceration Retreat & Showcase
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Telling Our Own Stories: Inside the Movements Against Mass Incarceration Retreat & ShowcaseTwenty-six partners from across the country gathered in New York this June to celebrate the pre-release of the Movements Against Mass Incarceration oral history archive, with panels on reflection, art, and activation from justice-impacted organizers, artists, and scholars.
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go to Introducing the 2026 Inaugural Incite Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellows
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Introducing the 2026 Inaugural Incite Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellows
We're excited to announce this year's cohort of Incite Dissertation Fellows. In keeping with Incite Institute's commitment to bringing disciplines together across the university, the Fellows Program brings together PhD candidates at the dissertation writing stage for a year of close, sustained engagement with the thinking of colleagues from disciplines other than their own.