Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/Black History Month at Cambridge College 2019

Event has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 26th.

Cambridge College will host a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 between the hours of 4pm and 8pm in the Town Common at the main campus in Charlestown, MA. This Edit-a-ton is in celebration of Black History Month and aligned with the theme for the spring 2019 term Immigration, Migration, Displacement, and Community. Specific pages to be edited will be primarily figures connected to the African diaspora.

Women and people of color are underrepresented in the Wikipedia editing community. The goals of an Edit-a-thon are to target specific pages in need of editing and to close the “editing gap” by encouraging underrepresented groups to edit pages. Attendees of the event do not need any experience editing Wikipedia and all are welcome. A short orientation and materials will be provided. Drop in between 4pm and 8pm to learn to edit and contribute to a publicly-available source used across the globe.

How to get started

1. first, visit this URL and click request an account (if you don't have a Wikipedia account) or log in (if you do).

• Notes on accounts: pick a username that you don't mind being on the internet. It doesn't need to be your real name. Many usernames are already taken so you might need to try a few different ones.
• signing up for this dashboard will help us track what we do this evening!
• once you have requested the account & we add it, you will be able to log into Wikipedia in any language with it.

1. Try making your userpage: once you have logged into Wikipedia, in the upper-right-hand corner your chosen username will be displayed in red. Click that red link and you will be taken to a page creation form. Add a sentence or two about yourself. Suggestions: list some interests that you might want to work on in Wikipedia. For instance, "I am a new Wikipedia editor who enjoys cooking and researching African history."
2. Browse some of the articles below. Pick one or two you want to get into more deeply. Look for places where you can rewrite the text to flow more smoothly; add a citation (after you do some library research to find out more info) or add links to other Wikipedia articles.
3. make some edits!

Articles to edit

A list of suggested articles to edit and things to do.

Queen Mother Moore

• Melnea Cass - separate out recognition section, add more references
• Mittie Maude Lena Gordon - find end-of-life information, add more about work
• Queen Mother Moore
  
• Adelaide Casely-Hayford
  
• Amy Jacques Garvey
  
• Harry Washington
  
• Boston King
  
• David George (Baptist)
  
• Stephen Allen Benson
  
• William D. Coleman (politician)
  
• Thomas Peters (revolutionary)
  
• Daniel Coker
  
• Edward Jones (missionary)
  
• Joseph Jenkins Roberts
  
• Stella Thomas
  
• add information on accomplishments (notes) to List of African-American women in STEM fields
• to-do list from Afrocrowd
• Additional articles in need of editing can be found at wikipedia:WikiProject African diaspora
• additional black history month editathons
• Category:African-American_history_of_Massachusetts
• Facebook group - hidden black history

• Example article: Wanda Austin - source

• Example article: Wanda Austin - source
• example article: Gwendolyn Boyd - source
• Translate articles from English into other languages! Information: Wikipedia:Translate us & Special:ContentTranslation (must be logged in)

Resources for sources

• The HistoryMakers’ ScienceMakers Collection – 200+ person video archive oral histories of African Americans in STEM fields
• ASBMB’s History of Black Scientists
• Schomberg Center for Research in Black History edit-a-thon page

Cambridge College Libguide

https://library.cambridgecollege.edu/editathon

Use the libguide to access sources on the topics above. Some resources on the libguide are available only to Cambridge College students or Boston Public Library/Minuteman Network library cardholders.

Additional information for editors

Help:Starting editing

Wikipedia:Basic copyediting

Five Pillars of Wikipedia

From Five pillars of Wikipedia:

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia

Our encyclopedia combines many features of general and specialized encyclopedias, almanacs, and gazetteers. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, an advertising platform, a vanity press, an experiment in anarchy or democracy, an indiscriminate collection of information, or a web directory. It is not a dictionary, a newspaper, or a collection of source documents, although some of its fellow Wikimedia projects are.

Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view

We strive for articles in an impartial tone that document and explain major points of view, giving due weight with respect to their prominence. We avoid advocacy, and we characterize information and issues rather than debate them. In some areas there may be just one well-recognized point of view; in others, we describe multiple points of view, presenting each accurately and in context rather than as "the truth" or "the best view". All articles must strive for verifiable accuracy, citing reliable, authoritative sources, especially when the topic is controversial or is on living persons. Editors' personal experiences, interpretations, or opinions do not belong.

Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute

Since all editors freely license their work to the public, no editor owns an article and any contributions can and will be mercilessly edited and redistributed. Respect copyrightlaws, and never plagiarize from any sources. Borrowing non-free media is sometimes allowed as fair use, but strive to find free alternatives first.

Wikipedia's editors should treat each other with respect and civility

Respect your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree. Apply Wikipedia etiquette, and don't engage in personal attacks. Seek consensus, avoid edit wars, and never disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point. Act in good faith, and assume good faith on the part of others. Be open and welcoming to newcomers. Should conflicts arise, discuss them calmly on the appropriate talk pages, follow dispute resolution procedures, and consider that there are 5,802,302 other articles on the English Wikipedia to improve and discuss.

Wikipedia has no firm rules

Wikipedia has policies and guidelines, but they are not carved in stone; their content and interpretation can evolve over time. The principles and spirit matter more than literal wording, and sometimes improving Wikipedia requires making exceptions. Be bold but not reckless in updating articles. And do not agonize over making mistakes: every past version of a page is saved, so mistakes can be easily corrected.