AfroCrowd

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Some observers have noted a dearth in content pertaining to sub-Saharan African history on Wikipedia.{{cite journal |last = Matsuuchi |first = Ann |title = Connecting Wikipedia and the Archive: Building a Public History of HIV/AIDS in New York City |url = http://wikistudies.org/index.php?journal=wikistudies&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=2 |journal = WikiStudies |year = 2017 |volume = 1 |issue = 1 |access-date = April 1, 2019 |archive-date = January 21, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210121024819/http://wikistudies.org/index.php?journal=wikistudies&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=2 |url-status = live }}

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",{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Stephen |date=January 14, 2019 |title=Happy 18th birthday, Wikipedia. Let's celebrate the Internet's good grown-up. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/happy-18th-birthday-wikipedia-lets-celebrate-the-internets-good-grown-up/2019/01/14/e4d854cc-1837-11e9-9ebf-c5fed1b7a081_story.html}} AfroCROWD hosts edit-a-thons and talks across the New York metropolitan area. The group has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library{{Cite book |last=Proffitt |first=Merrilee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xMTVDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22AfroCrowd%22+Wikipedia&pg=PT256 |title=Leveraging Wikipedia: Connecting Communities of Knowledge |date=2018-04-02 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-0-8389-1732-9 |language=en}} and other organizations such as the Haiti Cultural Exchange and Haitian Creole Language Institute to host these events.{{cite web |last=Jean |first=Fabiola |date=February 19, 2015 |title=AfroCrowd: Owning Haitian History Through Digital Empowerment |url=http://haitiantimes.com/2015/02/19/afrocrowd-owning-haitian-history-through-digital-empowerment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810211620/http://haitiantimes.com/2015/02/19/afrocrowd-owning-haitian-history-through-digital-empowerment/ |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |access-date=October 20, 2017 |website=Haitian Times}} AfroCROWD also seeks to increase the number of people of African descent who actively take part in the Wikimedia and open knowledge movements.{{Cite web |title=AfroCROWD, ALP & CCCADI present AfroLatinoCROWD! |url=https://www.afrobeatradio.com/events/2015/4/12/afrocrowd-alp-cccadi-present-afrolatinocrowd |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007212358/https://www.afrobeatradio.com/events/2015/4/12/afrocrowd-alp-cccadi-present-afrolatinocrowd |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=AfrobeatRadio |language=en-US}}

File:Alice Backer.jpg

Alice Backer, a Haitian-American attorney and digital activist launched AfroCROWD to after attending a Black Lunch Table (BLT) edit-a-thon. Inspired by the event’s emphasis on diversifying Wikipedia content, Backer aimed to create a platform that would empower Black communities to contribute to the digital knowledge space.{{Citation |last=Smith |first=Kai Alexis |title=Do Black Wikipedians matter? Confronting the whiteness in Wikipedia with archives and libraries |date=2021-09-15 |work=Wikipedia and Academic Libraries |url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11778416.ch6.en |access-date=2025-05-23 |publisher=Michigan Publishing}} AfroCROWD’s mission aligns with broader efforts to confront systemic bias in digital knowledge platforms and to promote inclusivity in information sharing.{{Cite book |last=Bridges |first=Laurie |url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11778416 |title=Wikipedia and Academic Libraries |last2=Pun |first2=Raymond |last3=Arteaga |first3=Roberto |date=2021 |publisher=Maize Books |isbn=978-1-60785-670-2 |location=Ann Arbor, MI}}

Daniella Bien-Aime included Backer in The Haitian Times' 2015 list of 10 "Haitian social media influencers you should follow".{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-06-15 |title=10 Haitian Social Media Influencers You Should Follow |url=http://haitiantimes.com/2015/06/15/10-haitian-social-media-influencers-you-should-follow/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=The Haitian Times |language=en-US}} In 2020, leading up to Juneteenth, AfroCrowd hosted efforts to improve Wikipedia articles related to civil rights.{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Stephen |date=2020-06-09 |title=How Wikipedia Became a Battleground for Racial Justice |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/06/wikipedia-george-floyd-neutrality.html |access-date=2023-02-15 |issn=1091-2339}} The group has received funding from the Wikimedia Foundation.{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Stephen |date=2022-12-02 |title=The Huge Fight Behind Those Pop-Up Fundraising Banners on Wikipedia |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/technology/2022/12/wikipedia-wikimedia-foundation-donate.html |access-date=2023-02-15 |issn=1091-2339}}

AfroCROWD conducts regular edit-a-thons and training sessions, mainly in collaboration with libraries, museums, and academic institutions. These events are designed to teach participants how to edit Wikipedia. They try and encourage creation and improvement of articles related to African and African diaspora histories and cultures. Notable collaborations include partnerships with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Brooklyn Public Library.{{Cite journal |last=Barera |first=Michael |date=2020-10-20 |title=Mind the Gap: Addressing Structural Equity and Inclusion on Wikipedia |url=https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/utalibraries_publications/112/ |journal=UTA Libraries Staff Publications}}

AfroCROWD has also participated in international Wikimedia campaigns aimed at increasing the representation of marginalized communities. It has been involved in initiatives such as #VisibleWikiWomen and frequently collaborates with user groups like Art+Feminism, Whose Knowledge?, and the Black Lunch Table to advocate for greater diversity on the platform.{{Cite journal |last=Bridges |first=Laurie M. |last2=Park |first2=Diana |last3=Edmunson-Morton |first3=Tiah K. |date=2019-10-28 |title=Writing African American History Into Wikipedia |url=https://journals3.oregondigital.org/olaq/article/view/vol25_iss2_7 |journal=OLA Quarterly |language=en |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=16–21 |doi=10.7710/1093-7374.1987 |issn=1093-7374|doi-access=free }}

AfroCROWD has played a significant role in addressing the content and contributor gaps on Wikipedia. By focusing on the inclusion of Black voices and histories, the initiative challenges the systemic biases that have historically marginalised these narratives in digital spaces. Scholars have recognised AfroCROWD's contributions to diversifying Wikipedia's content and community, highlighting its role in fostering a more equitable information ecosystem.{{Cite journal |last=Bridges |first=Laurie |last2=Park |first2=Diana |last3=Edmunson-Morton |first3=Tiah |date=2019-10-28 |title=Writing African American History Into Wikipedia |url=https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1987 |journal=OLA Quarterly |volume=25 |issue=2 |doi=10.7710/1093-7374.1987 |issn=1093-7374|doi-access=free }}

The work of AfroCROWD has been acknowledged in academic literature as a model for community engagement and digital activism. Researchers have examined the organization's strategies for promoting inclusivity and have emphasized the importance of such initiatives in reshaping the digital knowledge landscape. AfroCROWD's efforts have been featured in discussions on the role of libraries and archives in supporting marginalised communities' participation in knowledge creation

• Afripedia Project
• Black Lunch Table

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• {{cite web |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/the-art-genome-project-why-are-all-the-black-artists-sitting-together-in-the-cafeteria |title=The Art Genome Project: Why Are All the Black Artists Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? |last1=Jene-Fagon |first1=Olivia |last2=Yoshi Tani |first2=Ellen |date=January 17, 2016 |website=Artsy |quote=Welcome to the Black Lunch Table: Jina Valentine and Heather Hart on Creating Space for Communities of Color in the Art World}}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.good.is/articles/wikipedia-editors-diversity |title=How Activists Are Diversifying Wikipedia One Edit At A Time |last=Frisella |first=Emily |date=April 27, 2017 |website=GOOD Magazine}}

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{{Meta|AfroCROWD User Group}}

• {{Official website}}
• AfroCROWD Wikipedia Meetup page

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Category:2015 establishments in New York City

Category:African-American culture

Category:African-American history in New York City

Category:Organizations based in New York City

Category:Organizations established in 2015

Category:Post–civil rights era in African-American history

Category:Wikimedia community projects