Last weekend I had the honor of attending the #afroCROWD Black History month event, Wikipedia edit-a-thon. The organization provided a wealth of information about Wikipedia editing. Everything was helpful for those just beginning, or veterans of the process. As many of you know Wikipedia has become the top source of information on the internet. Because it is crowdsourced that leaves a lot to be desired in the way of quality and quantity of content.
In this day and time of “alternative facts” the presentation of truth becomes even more important. Those of us who exist in marginalized or underrepresented realms are constantly presented with the difficulty of getting our stories heard. One of the ways we can do this is by becoming pro-active, and doing wikipedia editing for ourselves. This is vital for pagan activists, black activists, LGBTQ activists, and anyone trying to make a real difference in a world that doesn’t, or can’t hear our voices.
Recently feminists and other groups have taken up this challenge. In a recent article called Editing for Equality by Catch News they explain “we write in reaction to all that’s wrong and how we’re misrepresented, but another way to make the world see this is to be the primary source. If women, and people from other disenfranchised, marginalized and often forgotten social groups were made visible for who they are and what they have achieved, that would be the first step to actual emancipation.”
The Best Way to Start Wikipedia Editing
So what is the best way to start ? First, if at all possible, I urge you to attend a Wikipedia edit-a-thon. These events are popping up all over the world. Even if one isn’t present in your area, you may be able to video conference in to an event.
However, what if that isn’t possible, and in that case there are several resources available to get you started. I highly recommend the informational video series on Wikipedia editing by Art and Feminism.
Art + Feminism Beginner Training
The first thing you are going to have to do is set up a Wikipedia user account, if you don’t have one already. AfroCROWD recommends using a different name than your own. This will protect your identity and also possibly lend to the objectivity of your edits.
All your Wikipedia editing will also need to be sourced. What is considered a reliable source is a relatively short list. Books and established newspapers are the best sources to cite, but Wikipedia does make determinations on a case by case basis. One thing you can’t do is use yourself as a source. This is troublesome for writers like myself. You also can’t use another Wikipedia article as a source. Spend some time looking at the approved sources for citations to get an idea what is acceptable.
Before I went to the edit-a-thon one of my friends asked me to find out why many Wikipedia edits get removed. There are a few answers to this question. First everything has to be properly sourced, which I just mentioned. Then there is the problem of conflict of interest. Wikipedia takes great care to insure edits are not created by people looking for self-promotion. If you do have a connection to the material you are editing, make sure you mention this on the talk page for the entry you are editing. You can find the tab in the top left of the article. While at the afroCROWD event I found one edit I really wanted to make. Regular readers of this blog know I am a member of the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans. When I looked I realized that the address for the temple on it’s Wikipedia page was incorrect (the temple relocated after suffering a fire last year.) In order to make this edit I disclosed my connection to the temple on the talk page, and then sourced the edit from a site that didn’t belong to me or the temple. While these steps may seem like a bit of extra trouble, they will hopefully insure that your edits get approved.
Obviously there is much more to understand about this subject, but hopefully this will get you started. If possible get involved with the AfroCROWD organization (Afro Free Culture Crowdsourcing Wikimedia.) It ” is a new initiative which seeks to increase the number of people of African Descent who actively partake in the Wikimedia and free knowledge, culture and software movements. Since its launch during Black Wiki History Month in 2015, Afrocrowd has sensitized thousands in its target audience about free culture crowdsourcing and the need to close the multicultural and gender gaps in Wikipedia. Afrocrowd has also held monthly multilingual editathons in partnership with cultural institutions such as the Brooklyn Public Library, the Studio Museum in Harlem, MOMA, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Haiti Cultural Exchange. Afrocrowd has also trained future trainers in the target community.”
Wikipedia editing can be a valuable tool for pagan activism, black activism, and the furthering of knowledge for many underrepresented groups. I wish you the best of luck in your edits. Hopefully someday someone will make a Wikipedia page for me and my writing and films, hint hint. Until then you can follow my edits on my user page under LilithAuthor, and if you appreciate what you read here please remember to share.
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