AfroCrowd explained

AfroCrowd
Founder:	Alice Backer
Vat Id:	(for European organizations) -->
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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

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". Described as a "do-it-yourself initiative",^[4] AfroCROWD hosts edit-a-thons and talks across the New York metropolitan area. The group has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library^[5] and other organizations such as the Haiti Cultural Exchange and Haitian Creole Language Institute to host these events.^[6] AfroCROWD also seeks to increase the number of people of African descent who actively take part in the Wikimedia and open knowledge movements.^[7]

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 opportunities to do more than participate in and consume social media".^[8] Daniella Bien-Aime included Backer in The Haitian Times' 2015 list of 10 "Haitian social media influencers you should follow".^[9]

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

• Afripedia Project
• Black Lunch Table

Further reading

• Web site: The Art Genome Project: Why Are All the Black Artists Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? . Jene-Fagon . Olivia . Yoshi Tani . Ellen . January 17, 2016 . . Welcome to the Black Lunch Table: Jina Valentine and Heather Hart on Creating Space for Communities of Color in the Art World.
• Web site: How Activists Are Diversifying Wikipedia One Edit At A Time . Frisella . Emily . April 27, 2017 . GOOD Magazine.

External links

• • AfroCROWD Wikipedia Meetup page

Notes and References

1. Web site: Women leading movements to champion equality on Wikipedia . Allum . Cynthia . February 29, 2016 . . October 20, 2017 . August 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810172433/http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/02/29/women-leading-movements-to-champion-equality-on-wikipedia/ . live .
2. Web site: Black Digital Empowerment Through AfroCROWD workshops . Delices . Patrick . Black Star News . October 20, 2017 . August 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810175033/http://www.blackstarnews.com/money/economy/black-digital-empowerment-through-afrocrowd-workshops.html . live .
3. Matsuuchi . Ann . Connecting Wikipedia and the Archive: Building a Public History of HIV/AIDS in New York City . WikiStudies . 2017 . 1 . 1 . April 1, 2019 . January 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210121024819/http://wikistudies.org/index.php?journal=wikistudies&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=2 . live .
4. News: Harrison . Stephen . January 14, 2019 . Happy 18th birthday, Wikipedia. Let's celebrate the Internet's good grown-up. .
5. Book: Proffitt, Merrilee . Leveraging Wikipedia: Connecting Communities of Knowledge . 2018-04-02 . American Library Association . 978-0-8389-1732-9 . en.
6. Web site: Jean . Fabiola . February 19, 2015 . AfroCrowd: Owning Haitian History Through Digital Empowerment . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810211620/http://haitiantimes.com/2015/02/19/afrocrowd-owning-haitian-history-through-digital-empowerment/ . August 10, 2017 . October 20, 2017 . Haitian Times.
7. Web site: AfroCROWD, ALP & CCCADI present AfroLatinoCROWD! . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007212358/https://www.afrobeatradio.com/events/2015/4/12/afrocrowd-alp-cccadi-present-afrolatinocrowd . October 7, 2022 . 2022-07-09 . AfrobeatRadio . en-US.
8. Web site: Can 'Black Wikipedia' Take Off Like 'Black Twitter'? . Murphy . Carla . February 4, 2015 . . October 20, 2017 . October 21, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171021003746/https://www.colorlines.com/articles/can-black-wikipedia-take-black-twitter . live .
9. Web site: 2015-06-15 . 10 Haitian Social Media Influencers You Should Follow . 2023-02-15 . The Haitian Times . en-US.
10. News: Harrison . Stephen . 2020-06-09 . How Wikipedia Became a Battleground for Racial Justice . en-US . Slate . 2023-02-15 . 1091-2339.
11. News: Harrison . Stephen . 2022-12-02 . The Huge Fight Behind Those Pop-Up Fundraising Banners on Wikipedia . en-US . Slate . 2023-02-15 . 1091-2339.