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| Formation | 2015; 9 years ago (2015) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Alice Backer |
| Website | afrocrowd |
AfroCrowd (stylized as AfroCROWD) is an initiative to create and improve information about Black culture and historyonWikipedia. The New York City-based project was founded by Alice Backer in 2015.[1][2]
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".[4] Described as a "do-it-yourself initiative",[5] AfroCROWD hosts edit-a-thons and talks across the New York metropolitan area.[1] The group has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library[6] and other organizations such as the Haiti Cultural Exchange and Haitian Creole Language Institute to host these events.[7] AfroCROWD also seeks to increase the number of people of African descent who actively take part in the Wikimedia and open knowledge movements.[8]
In 2015, lawyer Alice Backer launched AfroCROWD to "rectify Wikipedia's lack of articles about black history and black culture".[1][2] 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".[9] Daniella Bien-Aime included Backer in The Haitian Times' 2015 list of 10 "Haitian social media influencers you should follow".[4]
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]
Welcome to the Black Lunch Table: Jina Valentine and Heather Hart on Creating Space for Communities of Color in the Art World
New York City
New York (state)
