“If you talk to someone in a language they understand, that goes to their head. If you talk to them in their language, that goes to their heart.” — Nelson Mandela
About me
I am excited to be working with expert research organization Equis as their Wikimedian in Residence (WiR) for Latino culture and community engagement! This role represents a unique and exciting opportunity to leverage my experience with Wikimedia projects to foster greater representation and engagement of the Latino community on Wikipedia.
I began editing Wikipedia in July 2005, dedicating most of that decade to editing and administrative tasks. Following this, I became one of the founders and the main coordinator of Wikimedia Venezuela, where I served for over ten years. Most recently, I worked as a contractor for the Wikimedia Foundation. You can find my WMF username here.
My work
In the next six months at Equis, my primary goal is to address the significant underrepresentation of the U.S.-based Latino community in Wikimedia projects. This endeavor is not merely about increasing numbers but about enriching Wikipedia with diverse, accurate, and comprehensive content that reflects the rich heritage and contributions of Latinos in the United States and their common Latin American roots. To this, I want to help set the first steps to build a robust and supportive community of Latino contributors to Wikimedia projects.
Disclaimer: I work for or provide services to Equis as a Wikipedian in Residence. I independently develop content for the internet through this account. Edits and statements expressed in Wikipedia articles are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or positions of Equis. One can follow my contributions via this dashboard. Please note, assertions made by this account are provided for consideration by the community and are not vetted by Equis.
Due to my volunteer work as an editor on Wikipedia and coordinator of Wikimedia Venezuela, I have faced online harassment since 2019. This escalated in 2022 into an investigation described by various human rights organizations as judicial persecution aimed at curtailing my freedom and that of other users.
These incidents highlight the presence of organized groups, not only in Venezuela, that seek to control the narrative and reality for their citizens. However, platforms like Wikipedia, which adhere to principles such as the neutral point of view and the use of reliable sources, help prevent the imposition of a single truth.
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