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AfroCrowd (stylized as AfroCROWD) is an initiative to create and improve information about Black culture and
In 2015, lawyer Alice Backer launched AfroCROWD to "rectify Wikipedia's lack of articles about black history and black culture". According to Backer, the aim of the project is to "give
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
on Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
. The New York City-based project was founded by Alice Backer in 2015.
Background and description
Some observers have noted a dearth in content pertaining to sub-Saharan African history onWikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
.
In 2015, Daniella Bien-Aime of '' The Haitian Times'' called AfroCrowd "a multilingual initiative to increase Afrodescendant participation in crowdsourcing initiatives such as Wikipedia". Described as a "do-it-yourself initiative", AfroCROWD hosts edit-a-thons and talks across the New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
. The group has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library and other organizations such as the Haiti Cultural Exchange and Haitian Creole Language Institute to host these events. AfroCROWD also seeks to increase the number of people of African descent who actively take part in the Wikimedia
The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., or Wikimedia for short and abbreviated as WMF, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California and registered as a charitable foundation under local laws. Best know ...
and open knowledge
Open knowledge (or free knowledge) is knowledge that is free to use, reuse, and redistribute without legal, social, or technological restriction. Open knowledge organizations and activists have proposed principles and methodologies related to th ...
movements.
History
In 2015, lawyer Alice Backer launched AfroCROWD to "rectify Wikipedia's lack of articles about black history and black culture". According to Backer, the aim of the project is to "give people of color
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
opportunities to do more than participate in and consume social media". Daniella Bien-Aime included Backer in '' The Haitian Times''Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...
, AfroCrowd hosted efforts to improve Wikipedia articles related to civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
. The group has received funding from the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., or Wikimedia for short and abbreviated as WMF, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California and registered as a charitable foundation under local laws. Best know ...
.
See also
* Afripedia Project * Black Lunch TableReferences
Further reading
* *External links
* * AfroCROWD Wikipedia Meetup page {{Authority control 2015 establishments in New York City African-American culture African-American history in New York City Organizations based in New York City Organizations established in 2015 Post–civil rights era in African-American history Wikipedia