2019:Diversity/AfroCROWD at the United Nations and in the International Community: How to Develop Global Wikipedia Partnerships for Diversity and Inclusion
 | This is an Accepted submission for the Diversity space at Wikimania 2019. |
Title
AfroCROWD at the United Nations and in the International Community: How to Develop Global Wikipedia Partnerships for Diversity and Inclusion
Description
The AfroCROWD initiative to increase awareness of the African Diaspora on Wikipedia, has been involved at the United Nations and in the international community for several years. This presentation will cover some of that interaction and share some of what we have learned from it on how to work with a complicated multi-stakeholder intergovernmental institution, and advance Wikipedia initiatives towards diversity and inclusion through international partnerships and initiatives.
AfroCROWD i.e. Afro Free Culture Crowdsourcing Wikimedia (AfroCROWD) is an outreach initiative and Wikimedia User Group which seeks to increase awareness of the Wikimedia and free knowledge, culture and software movements among potential editors of African descent. Since its launch during Black Wiki History Month in 2015, AfroCROWD has sensitized thousands in its target audience about free culture crowdsourcing and the need to close the multicultural and gender gaps in Wikipedia. AfroCROWD has also held monthly multilingual editathons in partnership with cultural institutions, galleries, libraries, archives, museums (GLAM) and many others.
During this presentation, we will begin by discussing the reason behind the initiative (now user group) and talk about our work within the international context. AfroCROWD has organized or participated in several initiatives at the United Nations. As recently as March, our, for example, AfroCROWD's Program and Outreach Director, Sherry Antoine, was invited to speak at a UN event concerning women and the digital divide. AfroCROWD has also partnered with non-governmental organizations, grassroots initiatives, universities and other groups within the Wikimedia community for international events combining efforts related to diversity and inclusion.
During this session, we will talk about what we have learned from these experiences and share them with participants. We hope it will be an interactive and useful event.
Relationship to the theme
This session will address the conference theme — Wikimedia, Free Knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals — in the following manner: This session will address the conference theme — Wikimedia, Free Knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals — in the following manner:
Among the United Nations, SDGs AfroCROWD has interacted with several both directly and indirectly. These include SDG 4, 9, 17, and 10. For example, we have presented and organized events at the UN focused on improving information about Black women leaders on Wikipedia on several occasions. We have also worked with other Wikimedia groups and have also spoken directly on Gender Diversity, youth, technology and diversity in different formats at the United Nations headquarters and side events.
Session outcomes
At the end of the session, the following will have been achieved:
Participants will
Learn: about AfroCROWD's work as a Wikipedia initiative that has presented and organized at the United Nations and worked with organizations in the global community to improve diversity and inclusion in Wikipedia content and editorship
Receive: best practices we have developed in working with global-facing organizations
Grow: in skills that we have attained in working in the international community
Meet: others interested in this area of Wikimedia organizing
Develop: strategy in relation to international organizing and tackling sustainable development goals like SDG5 on gender, SDG10 on inequality (and some on SDG4 on education)
Session leader(s)
- Full name 1 AfroCROWD Program and Outreach Director, Sherry Antoine
- Full name 2 AfroCROWD Coach and active AfroCROWDer, Linda Fletcher
Usernames
- Wikimedia username 1 Shanluan
- Wikimedia username 2 Adjoajo
Affiliation/country
- Affiliation 1 United States
- Affiliation 2 United States
E-mail contact
- Email 1 Sherryantoine@gmail.com
- Email 2 Sherry@AfroCROWD.org
Session type
Each Space at Wikimania 2019 will have specific format requests. The program design prioritizes submissions which are future-oriented and directly engage the audience. The format of this submission is a:
- Discussion-based training
- Workshop to identify and try to solve a problem
- Panel with audience Question & Answer session
- Lecture
- Other: Interactive Presentation
Length of session
If other than 20 minutes, specify how long 20 minutes is fine
Supporting work
Optional:
- Link 1 AfroCROWD helps organize Wikigap Day with the Swedish Mission to the United Nations at UN Headquarters
- Link 2 Photo: AfroCROWD Program Director Sherry Antoine speaks at the United Nations
Requirements
The session will work best with these conditions:
- Room:
A small classroom with a projector + screen + microphone
- Audience:
30-40 people would be appropriate to attend/participate in this session. They would not need to have prior knowledge/skills.
- Recording:
30-40 people would be appropriate to attend/participate in this session. They would not need to have prior knowledge/skills.