Exploring Digital Archives and Social Justice at NULab Event
On November 4th, the Digital Scholarship Group and the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Science hosted the annual Fall Scholarship Celebration, where attendees gathered via Zoom and in person at Northeastern University’s Snell Library. The event marked the launch of the new Centers for Digital Scholarship, a hub for digital research and teaching at Northeastern. It was an inspiring occasion that brought together scholars, students, and community members to discuss the intersection of digital humanities, justice, and the power of collaborative research. The warm atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm, setting the stage for an afternoon of thought-provoking presentations and discussions.
Welcoming Remarks: The Power of Collaboration
Professor Moira Zellner kicked off the event by introducing the NULab and its mission, emphasizing that the NULab is a dynamic and evolving network, serving as an incubator for interdisciplinary work in the fields of digital humanities and computational social science. Professor Ellen Cushman followed with a heartfelt introduction to the event’s theme of fostering change through relationships. She described how the NULab’s work in digital methods—often utilizing tools like text analysis, mapping, and data visualization—engages with social justice and innovative knowledge practices. To set the stage for the keynote speaker, Professor Julia Flanders gave an enthusiastic and warm welcome, introducing Professor Margaret A. Burnham to a round of applause and setting an exciting tone for the session.
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Margaret A. Burnham and the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive
Prof. Margaret A. Burnham, a Radcliffe College and Carnegie Fellow and a leading advocate for civil and human rights, delivered a powerful keynote address that captivated the audience. Burnham, who was appointed by President Biden to the Cold Case Records Review Board in 2022, spoke passionately about her work on the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive—a groundbreaking project that she co-founded with Professor Melissa Nobles in 2009. The archive focuses on revisiting unsolved civil rights-era cases, particularly those from the Jim Crow era, with the goal of bringing justice, transparency, and visibility to cases that have long been ignored or buried. By leveraging digital tools and archives, the project sheds light on the hidden histories of marginalized communities, offering a platform for justice and restorative measures.
Burnham discussed the historical context of the archive, which focuses on cases from the southern United States—an area with the highest concentration of racially motivated violence during the Jim Crow era. She noted that the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive provides a unique perspective by connecting law students, legal scholars, and local communities to recover, analyze, and contextualize these cases. Through the archive, people can search for names, locations, and other data points related to specific cases. The database includes primary sources such as newspapers, police records, DOJ files, and family documents—allowing users to better understand the relationships between civil rights organizations, local communities, and the press during the era. Burnham emphasized that the project not only serves as an academic tool but is also a community-facing resource, making these crucial documents accessible to the public. Burnham reflected on the power of digital archives to “repurpose the record” and bring new life to forgotten documents.
The audience was eager to engage with Burnham during the Q&A session.
Professor Burnham was asked questions on the risks and ethical considerations of dehumanizing data. She noted that as with any digital project, there are challenges in how to present and represent human suffering without losing sight of the human lives at stake. Burnham addressed the ethical questions involved in making such materials widely available, particularly in a digital context where decontextualized images or articles could inadvertently perpetuate harm. She emphasized the importance of adding layers of contextualization to ensure that these records are not simply presented as numbers or statistics but are understood as the stories of real people and communities.
Several questions touched on the future of local journalism and how the disappearance of local media could impact the ability to uncover hidden stories like those documented in the archive. Burnham reflected on the importance of African American newspapers, which often provided more contextualized and nuanced accounts of events that local white newspapers overlooked or misreported.
Another question explored the unexpected ways in which the archive is being used. Burnham shared that many non-scholarly users, including artists, activists, and people with personal ties to the cases, have turned to the archive to recover and represent these forgotten histories. This has led to fascinating cultural projects and artistic endeavors that aim to raise awareness and spark dialogue about the ongoing legacies of racial injustice.
Digital Tools and Lightning Talks
After Burnham’s keynote, the event shifted to a series of lightning talks that showcased the innovative work happening at Northeastern. Caitlin Pollock, Associate Director of the Digital Scholarship Group (DSG), moderated the session, which featured a range of projects focused on digital scholarship, archival work, and creative digital tools.
Joel Lee and Misha Ankudovych from the DSG presented their project on transcribing historical documents and creating visualizations, such as network maps and subject timelines, that help researchers uncover patterns from the Massachusetts Historical Society data. They are collaborating on tools that allow scholars to draw new insights from historical materials and build more dynamic narratives about the past. Vijeta Saini presented her research on Shakespeare in colonial and postcolonial Punjab, exploring the connections between literature and peasant movements. Monica Storss, from the College of Arts, Media, and Design, introduced her work on digital poetics, including an “augmented reality poetry machine” that uses text mining and sentiment analysis to explore the voice of the Boston Globe. These innovative projects reflect the interdisciplinary ethos of scholarship at Northeastern, and the community’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what digital tools can accomplish in the humanities and social sciences.
Closing Remarks: The Front Porch Community
The event concluded with a lighthearted and inspiring speech from Dr. Dan Cohen, Dean of the Library. Dr. Cohen highlighted the launch of the new Centers for Digital Scholarship and emphasized the importance of collaboration in academic and research spaces. Drawing a metaphor between the new CDS space and the concept of a “front porch community,” he described how spaces with front porches—places where people naturally gather and interact—encourage the exchange of diverse knowledge and expertise. Finally, in his recorded remarks, Dr. David Madigan, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, underscored the power of collaboration, highlighting how Northeastern’s dynamic, interdisciplinary environment fosters a spirit of innovation and excellence that drives the university’s continued success and impact across diverse fields.
Cohen’s and Madigan’s closing remarks captured the spirit of the event: Northeastern is not just a hub for academic research, but a vibrant, interdisciplinary community that values collaboration, inclusivity, and the power of knowledge, especially through the CDS, to drive positive change across fields.
The event was a testament to the innovative work being done at the intersection of digital humanities and social justice. Through projects like the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive, digital tools are helping to make history visible, accessible, and reparable—empowering communities and scholars alike to engage with the past in meaningful ways.
The DSG, Library, and the NULab were honored to host this event and look forward to welcoming students, faculty, and members of the Northeastern and Boston communities to the newly opened Centers for Digital Scholarship.
RESOURCES
The Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive
Primary Source Coop Lab Space
