This project is a collaboration between Columbia scholars and students and leadership at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center. The goal is to create programming and intellectual resources inspired by the legacy of Dr. Shabazz and Malcolm X through public events, workshops and data science activities. Part of this work will involve using computational methods to analyze existing publications around Malcolm X’s work, as well as develop a corpus of research materials by effectively digitizing the contents of the publicly-available FBI files about his life.

This effort is a continuation of an existing partnership with the Center that seeks to develop a more equitable partnership between Columbia and the Shabazz Center, which has been consistently marginalized even in its own physical space. We believe this work will help lay the foundation for a more inclusive and mutually beneficial relationship that will meaningfully benefit the university, the Shabazz Center and the broader Harlem community.

This is an UNPAID research project.

Faculty Advisor

  • Professor: Manan Ahmed
  • Center/Lab:
  • I am a historian working on decolonization and digital archives.

Project Timeline

  • Earliest starting date: 9/9/21
  • End date: 4/9/22
  • Number of hours per week of research expected during Fall 2021: ~10
  • Number of hours per week of research expected during Summer 2022: ~10

Candidate requirements

  • Skill sets: Javascript, Git, Jekyll
  • Student eligibility: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, master’s
  • International students on F1 or J1 visa: NOT eligible
  • Academic Credit Possible: No