The Badman (Digital) Archive – Detroit

by Harry M. Foster | Department of English

Project Overview

The Badmen Archives is a revolutionary modular digital museum system that will ultimately map Black masculine heroism across every major American city. Starting with Detroit as our prototype city module, we’re creating a scalable architecture that transforms how communities nationwide preserve and share their resistance narratives.

The platform launches with an interactive US map featuring Detroit as the first glowing node—a beacon demonstrating what’s possible when communities reclaim their stories. Each city module operates independently while sharing a unified data structure, allowing local ownership while contributing to a national tapestry of Black cultural evolution.

This modular approach addresses a critical challenge: while every city has unique badman traditions shaped by local history, existing archives remain siloed and inaccessible. Our JSON-based architecture creates a replicable framework where each city can build their own archive while participating in a larger network of cultural preservation. Detroit serves as both our proof of concept and the template for nationwide expansion.

The intellectual significance extends beyond technical innovation. By starting with a single city and building outward, we’re documenting how localized resistance strategies connect to form a national grammar of survival. The glowing node visualization literally illuminates how isolated struggles form constellations of resistance when properly mapped and connected.

Audience:

Primary Audience (Priority Order):

1. Detroit Communities – Residents interested in understanding how historical resistance networks operated in their neighborhoods
2. Scholars & Researchers – Urban historians, digital humanists, and Black studies scholars who need new methodological approaches to studying resistance networks
3. Students – Graduate and undergraduate students studying urban history, network analysis, or Black resistance movements

Value Proposition by Audience:

• For Communities: Makes visible the hidden geography of Black resistance in Detroit
• For Scholars: Demonstrates new DH methodologies for analyzing resistance networks
• For Students: Provides concrete examples of how space and networks shaped social movements

Deliverables/Outcomes (Spring 2026):

Detroit Badmen Network Analysis, Geospatial Archive, and Community Repository

Core Components:

• Interactive Geospatial Map – Visualizing where Detroit’s badmen operated in the city
  • Paradise Valley locations for detective figures
  • Revolutionary meeting sites and confrontation points
  • Neighborhood territories and influence zones
• Network Analysis Visualization – Showing connections between figures
  • Influence relationships across time periods
  • Shared locations and overlapping territories
  • Evolution from detective to revolutionary modalities
• Community Repository – Enabling ongoing archive expansion
  • Submission form for community-sourced badmen figures
  • Vetting pipeline with five-criteria evaluation
  • Contributor notification upon approval

Initial Dataset (5 Figures):

1. Detective Modality (3 figures)
   • Focus on Paradise Valley era detectives
   • Numbers runners who served as community protectors
   • Police-affiliated figures navigating dual loyalties
2. Political Revolutionary Modality (2 figures)
   • Black Panther Party Detroit chapter members
   • Revolutionary union organizers

Expansion Goal: If initial 5 figures are successfully implemented by March, expand to 8 total figures (adding 2 more detectives and 1 revolutionary)

Technical Architecture:

• Geospatial Component: Leaflet.js with historical Detroit map overlays
• Network Visualization: D3.js force-directed graph
• Data Format: JSON structure enabling both visualizations
• Community repository: Submit a badman for review

Content Per Figure:

• Biographical overview (200-300 words)
• Key locations with coordinates
• Network connections to other figures
• Primary sources and archival materials
• Historical images where available

Why This Scope:

• Manageable dataset for deep research
• Two distinct modalities show evolution
• Detroit-specific focus demonstrates local expertise
• Visualizations reveal patterns not visible in text
• Foundation for future expansion

Functionality & Technology

Overview

The Detroit Badman Archive is a digital humanities platform that documents Black masculine figures who embody the “badman” heroic archetype in African American folklore as a form of “digital folklore.” The archive employs two distinct analytical tools—geospatial mapping and network visualization and analysis—housed within a responsive web framework, with a community submission system enabling ongoing expansion.

Core Functionality

The archive operates across seven interconnected pages, each serving a distinct purpose:

• Landing Page (Home): Introduction to the Black badman concept to new visitors, providing a brief historical and cultural context for the archetype’s significance. Also, includes a short navigation guide orienting users first, to the How to Use page, then to the two primary tools and a call-to-action directing users into the archive proper.
• How to Use Page: Provides detailed user guidance for navigating the archive’s tools. Explains map interface conventions (marker meanings, color coding, polygon territories), network visualization interpretation (node relationships, edge types, timeline functionality) and how to read badman profiles (25-point scoring system, real/fictional/meta designations, citation practices).
• Map Page: Provides geospatial exploration of individual badmen and their territories within Detroit. Users navigate an interactive map displaying location pins and territory polygons. Clicking any marker populates a detail panel containing:
  • Biographical data (name, real/fiction/metadata designation, active dates or publication/release year)
  • Territory description and area of operations
  • External hyperlinks to official content (Youtube videos of speeches, purchase links for books, IMDB pages for films/television)
  • Color-coded markers distinguish modality: Detective (blue) and Political Revolutionary (red).
• Network Page: Visualizes relational connections between badmen figures across time. Features include:
  • Timeline slider showing when badmen emerged in relation to one another
  • Force-directed network graph with nodes representing individual badmen
  • Connection panel displaying influence metrics (box office numbers, copies sold, newspaper coverage)
  • Documented connections between figures (e.g. a screenwriter citing a blaxploitation film as character inspiration, an author creating a fictional character based on a real person).
• Repository Page: Enables community-driven archive expansion through a submission form. Users provide their name, email, city (limited to major metropolitan areas for privacy), badman name, real/fictional designation, encounter description, and source information. Submissions enter a review queue rather than auto-populating; the research team vets each submission against the five-criteria framework before manual migration to the public archive. Approved submissions trigger email notification to the submitter once the submission is live.
• About Page: Introduction to the creator and the project’s scholarly context, including its connection to the CHI Fellowship and dissertation research. Details the five-criteria badman evaluation framework, explains why the archive includes both real and fictional figures, and other methodologies. Will also include creator contact information, community institutional partnerships and other acknowledgements.
• Resources & Citations Page: Provides the scholarly apparatus necessary for the archive to function as an academic resource. Includes a full bibliography of primary sources (novels, films, archival materials) and secondary sources (scholarly works on badman tradition, critical race theory, genre studies, etc.). Offers suggested citation formats (Chicago, MLA, APA) for citing the archive and individual badman entries. Provides a curated further reading list organized by topic for users seeking deeper engagement with the scholarship.

Tech Stack

The archive uses Bootstrap 5 as its front-end framework, providing responsive layout, navigation, and UI components that contain two specialized visualization modules.

Layer	Technology	Purpose
Container/Shell	Bootstrap 5	Navigation, responsive grid, panels, modals, tabs
Geospatial Map	Leaflet.js	Interactive map with location markers and territory polygons
Network	D3.js	Force-directed graph and timeline visualization
Scripting	Vanilla JavaScript	Lightweight interactivity without framework dependencies
Data	JSON	Single data source feeding both visualization tools
Form Handling	Google Forms	Community submission intake with spreadsheet storage
Version Control	Git/GitHub	Collaborative development and documentation
Hosting	GitHub Pages	Free, reliable, academically appropriate static hosting

Hosting & Domain Configuration

The archive will be hosted on GitHub Pages with a custom domain configuration designed for scalability.

• Initial Domain (Spring 2026): detroitbadmenarchivedotcom; this Detroit-specific domain serves the CHI Fellowship deliverable and live proof-of-concept phase.
• Future Domain Structure: badmanarchivedotcom, badmandigitalarchivedotcom, badmen(digital)archivedotcom. Upon expansion, the archive will migrate to a national-level domain with city-specific subdomains:
  • detroit.badmanarchive.com 
  • atlanta.badmanarchive.com
  • nyc.badmanarchive.com
  • la.badmanarchive.com
• GitHub Pages Custom Domain Setup:
  • Purchase domain from a registrar (Namecheap, Google Domains, GoDaddy, etc.)
  • Configure DNS records at the registrar:
    1. Add A records pointing to GitHub Pages IP addresses (185.199.108.153, 185.199.109.153, 185.199.110.153, 185.199.111.153)
    2. Add CNAME record pointing www subdomain to username.github.io
  • Add custom domain in GitHub repository Settings → Pages → Custom domain
  • GitHub creates CNAME file automatically in the repository root
  • Enable HTTPS via “Enforce HTTPS” checkbox (may take up to 24 hours to propagate)

Sustainability & Transferability

The community submission pipeline creates a pedagogical model transferable across institutions. Undergraduate researchers develop skills in initial research, data entry, and source verification. Graduate students apply the five-criteria scoring framework, write analytical descriptions, and contribute to technical development. This model travels with the project director regardless of institutional affiliation, enabling continuous archive expansion through supervised student labor.

Data, Information, Content

Data Management Snapshot

The archive stores structured data in JSON format, with each badman entry containing biographical metadata, geographic coordinates, network connections, badman criteria scores, and source citations. Primary data resides in a public GitHub repository with version control tracking all changes. Community submissions flow through Google Forms into a private Google Sheet, where they await vetting before manual migration to the public dataset. Weekly backups to MSU Google Drive ensure redundancy. All original metadata is released under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0, while linked materials (images, texts, media) follow fair use guidelines for educational purposes. Long-term preservation will be addressed through submission to MSU’s institutional repository upon project completion.

Data Content

Anticipated Community Partners

The following institutions represent potential partnerships to be pursued during the Spring 2026 implementation phase. Each offers distinct values aligned with the archive’s research needs and community engagement goals.

1. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: The Wright Museum is the world’s largest institution dedicated to African American history and serves as the cultural anchor for Black Detroit. Their permanent collection includes materials on Detroit’s civil rights movement, labor organizing, and community life—directly relevant to the archive’s revolutionary figures. Partnership would signal community legitimacy, provide potential access to archival photographs and documents, and offer pathways for public engagement through the museum’s educational programming. 
2. Wayne State University – Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs: The Reuther Library holds the most comprehensive collection of labor movement materials in the United States, including extensive documentation of DRUM (Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement) and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. This collection directly supports research on General Gordon Baker Jr. and the political revolutionary modality. The library’s digitization expertise and archival standards could inform the archive’s data management practices, while their existing digital collections provide a model for presenting labor history online.
3. Detroit Public Library – E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts: The Hackley Collection documents African American contributions to music, theater, film, and literature—directly relevant to the detective modality figures including Donald Goines’s literary legacy and the blaxploitation film tradition. As a public library, DPL serves a broader community audience than university archives and maintains a mission aligned with public access and education. Their Special Collections staff have expertise in handling sensitive cultural materials and could advise on ethical representation of community narratives.

Data Points

Detective Modality (3 figures):

1. Donald Goines (1936-1974) – The Meta-Badman
   • Career criminal who documented street life while living it
   • 7 prison sentences, wrote 16 novels in 5 years
   • Murdered in Highland Park, October 21, 1974
   • Perfect 25/25 badman score – the nexus where life becomes text
2. Kenyatta (1974-1975) – Revolutionary Fiction Detective
   • Goines’s fictional creation (as Al C. Clark)
   • Militant leader cleaning Detroit of drugs and racist police
   • Operates from Detroit base with paramilitary organization
   • 22/25 badman score
3. Action Jackson (1988) – Hypermasculine Film Detective
   • Harvard Law educated Detroit detective sergeant
   • Demoted for excessive force, goes vigilante
   • Protects union workers against auto industry corruption
   • 21/25 badman score

Political Revolutionary Modality (2 figures):

1. Ron Scott (1947-2015) – Black Panther Organizer
   • Co-founded Detroit Black Panther Party at 21
   • Survived “Detroit 15” incident (1970 armed siege)
   • Later founded “Peace Zones for Life”
   • 23/25 badman score
2. General Gordon Baker Jr. (1941-2014) – Labor Revolutionary
   • Principal organizer of DRUM (Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement)
   • Led 4,000 workers in 1968 wildcat strike
   • Refused Vietnam draft in 1965 open letter
   • 19/25 badman score

Geographic Focus Areas:

• Black Bottom (Goines territory)
• Paradise Valley (pre-destruction)
• Highland Park (Goines murder site)
• Dodge Main Plant (DRUM strikes)
• New Bethel Baptist (Panthers/RNA shootout)
• 12th Street corridor (rebellion epicenter)

Network Connections to Map:

• Goines → Kenyatta: Creator to creation
• Ron Scott → Baker: Revolutionary contemporaries
• All → 12th Street: Geographic convergence point
• Panthers → DRUM: Shared membership/ideology
• Action Jackson → Auto Industry: Fictional response to real corruption

Wireframes and/or Visual Comps

• Home Page – Conceptual introduction to the Black badman, a quick how-to-navigate guide, archive entry point
• How to Use Page – Map instructions, network analysis instructions, how to read badman profiles and interpretations
• Map Visualization Tool – Geospatial interface, biographical data, territory polygons, external links.
• Network Analysis Tool – Timeline slider for emergence, influence metrics, documented connections, relationship types
• Repository – Submission instructions, Submission form, vetting pipeline
• About – Creator information, theoretical framework, methodology, credits, community partners
• Resources – Bibliography, citation guide, further reading

Information Architecture

Submission Data Flow:

1. Submission: User completes Google Form with badman information
2. Storage: Form data populates private Google sheet (submitter metadata never displayed publicly)
3. Vetting: Research team evaluates submission against established criteria.
4. Migration: Approved entries manually added to public JSON data file
5. Display: JSON data populates Map and Network visualizations
6. Notification: Original submitter receives email confirmation when badman goes live

Preliminary Workplan (Spring 2026):

Phase 1: Research & Data Collection (Weeks 1-3)

• Deep research on 5 Detroit badmen figures (Goines, Kenyatta, Action Jackson, Ron Scott, General Baker)
• Gather location data and historical maps of Detroit (Paradise Valley, Black Bottom, Highland Park, Dodge Main)
• Document network connections and influence relationships
• Compile primary sources and external links (IMDB, book purchase links, YouTube, archival materials)

Phase 2: Visualization Development (Weeks 4-5)

• Implement Leaflet.js map with Detroit base layer
• Build territory polygon functionality
• Develop D3.js force-directed network graph
• Create timeline slider component
• Establish JSON data schema for both tools

Phase 3: Data Integration (Weeks 6-7)

• Input figure biographies and metadata into JSON
• Geocode historical locations
• Map relationship networks with connection types
• Link primary sources to profiles
• Populate detail panels for both Map and Network pages

Phase 4: Comprehensive Exam (Week 8)

• February 23 week: Comprehensive exam (no project work)

Phase 5: Post-Exam Sprint (Weeks 9-11)

• Refine map interactions and marker behavior
• Polish network animations and node highlighting
• Add filtering capabilities (modality, timeline)
• Implement responsive design for mobile
• Build Google Form integration for Repository page

Phase 6: Content Expansion & Community Outreach (Weeks 12-13)

• If ahead of schedule, add 3 additional figures (expand to 8 total)
• Enhance location descriptions and territory polygons
• Add more primary sources and external links
• Draft community partner outreach emails
• Conduct informal user feedback sessions

Phase 7: Documentation & Polish (Weeks 14-15)

• Write technical documentation
• Complete How To Use page content
• Populate Resources & Citations page (bibliography, citation formats)
• Record demo video walkthrough
• Prepare CHI presentation

Phase 8: Final Presentation & Launch (Week 16)

• Present to CHI cohort
• Deploy to GitHub Pages with custom domain
• Submit final deliverables
• Announce to potential community partners

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