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The Barney Ford Lab for Civic Thought and Engagement is a research group with the dual mission of promoting research in civic thought, and promoting civic engagement, at CU Boulder. As part of these dual missions, the lab regularly hosts extracurricular civics lectures open to the general Boulder community. We also host more intimate research workshops dedicated to providing mentorship to junior scholars interested in studying civics.

We are named after Barney Ford (1822-1902), a lifelong civil rights advocate. Barney Ford was an escaped slave who became one of the wealthiest men in Colorado through hard work and perseverance. He is perhaps best known for successfully advocating for the extension of voting rights to all Coloradoans.

We are housed in the Department of Political Science, but we welcome faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate fellow applications from any department.

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