Initiative that seeks to improve Wikipedia's coverage of black history and culture
AfroCrowd Logo
Formation 2015; 9 years ago (2015 ) Founder Alice Backer Website afrocrowd .org
AfroCrowd (stylized as AfroCROWD ) is an initiative to create and improve information about Black culture and history on Wikipedia . The New York City-based project was founded by Alice Backer in 2015.[ 1] [ 2]
Background and description
AfroCROWD Manager Sherry Antoine talked with German Wikipedia editor Sebastian Wallroth at WikiConference North America 2018 in Columbus, Ohio for podcast WikiJabber
Some observers have noted a dearth in content pertaining to sub-Saharan African history on Wikipedia .[ 3]
In 2015, Daniella Bien-Aime of The Haitian Times called AfroCrowd "a multilingual initiative to increase Afrodescendant participation in crowdsourcing initiatives such as Wikipedia".[ 4] Described as a "do-it-yourself initiative",[ 5] AfroCROWD hosts edit-a-thons and talks across the New York metropolitan area .[ 1] The group has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library [ 6] and other organizations such as the Haiti Cultural Exchange and Haitian Creole Language Institute to host these events.[ 7] AfroCROWD also seeks to increase the number of people of African descent who actively take part in the Wikimedia and open knowledge movements.[ 8]
History
Alice Backer in 2015
In 2015, lawyer Alice Backer launched AfroCROWD to "rectify Wikipedia's lack of articles about black history and black culture".[ 1] [ 2] According to Backer, the aim of the project is to "give people of color opportunities to do more than participate in and consume social media".[ 9] Daniella Bien-Aime included Backer in The Haitian Times ' 2015 list of 10 "Haitian social media influencers you should follow".[ 4]
In 2020, leading up to Juneteenth , AfroCrowd hosted efforts to improve Wikipedia articles related to civil rights .[ 10] The group has received funding from the Wikimedia Foundation .[ 11]
See also
References
^ a b c Allum, Cynthia (February 29, 2016). "Women leading movements to champion equality on Wikipedia" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 .
^ a b Delices, Patrick. "Black Digital Empowerment Through AfroCROWD workshops" . Black Star News . Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 .
^ Matsuuchi, Ann (2017). "Connecting Wikipedia and the Archive: Building a Public History of HIV/AIDS in New York City" . WikiStudies . 1 (1). Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
^ a b "10 Haitian Social Media Influencers You Should Follow" . The Haitian Times . June 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2023 .
^ Harrison, Stephen (January 14, 2019). "Happy 18th birthday, Wikipedia. Let's celebrate the Internet's good grown-up" .
^ Proffitt, Merrilee (April 2, 2018). Leveraging Wikipedia: Connecting Communities of Knowledge . American Library Association. ISBN 978-0-8389-1732-9 .
^ Jean, Fabiola (February 19, 2015). "AfroCrowd: Owning Haitian History Through Digital Empowerment" . Haitian Times . Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 .
^ "AfroCROWD, ALP & CCCADI present AfroLatinoCROWD!" . AfrobeatRadio . Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022 .
^ Murphy, Carla (February 4, 2015). "Can 'Black Wikipedia' Take Off Like 'Black Twitter'?" . ColorLines . Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 .
^ Harrison, Stephen (June 9, 2020). "How Wikipedia Became a Battleground for Racial Justice" . Slate . ISSN 1091-2339 . Retrieved February 15, 2023 .
^ Harrison, Stephen (December 2, 2022). "The Huge Fight Behind Those Pop-Up Fundraising Banners on Wikipedia" . Slate . ISSN 1091-2339 . Retrieved February 15, 2023 .
Further reading
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
AfroCROWD .