First Person - Incite at Columbia University
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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 Incite’s Trust Collaboratory Hosts The First Community Conversation for AI Research Project
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go to As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Mar 1, 2026
As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Originally published in the Spectator, Columbia University student Joseph Zuloaga writes about Columbia's role in the Obama Presidency Oral History.