Ergo Sum Story

Behind the Wikipedia articles educating thousands about the 1838 Jesuit sale of enslaved people

It’s June 19, 1838. No one knows it yet, but the American Civil War will kick off in just over two decades. Slavery in the United States will come to an end after that conflict—but for now, the sale of enslaved human beings is still legal. Now, let’s bring in the Jesuits, a Catholic religious….

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Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Story

The Smithsonian’s quest to expand the history of Black women in food and drink on Wikipedia

The history of Black Americans has often been lost, overlooked, or credited to others. Unfortunately, that also includes the influence of Black women on the United States’ food and drink history. Meet Lena Richard: the first Black woman to host a cooking television show in the United States. That may sound like a big achievement,….

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AfroCROWD Story

Celebrating eight years of AfroCROWD diversifying Wikipedia

Wikipedia is known for being the world’s largest encyclopedia that anyone can edit—but that does not mean everyone does. Whether due to social, political, or technological barriers that prevent people from sharing what they know with the world, the site is still missing out on a lot of the world’s wealth of knowledge. In particular,….

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Black Lunch Table Story

Black artists belong on Wikipedia — Black Lunch Table is making it happen

The school lunchroom can conjure up all kinds of memories. For the founders of the non-profit Black Lunch Table (BLT), it brought inspiration.   The lunchroom offers a shared space for people to come together and connect. Black Lunch Table aims to replicate this experience. Since its founding in 2005, the oral history archiving project has….

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Wikipedia Gets a Fresh New Look: First Desktop Update in a Decade Puts Usability at the Forefront

The interface update, built in collaboration with Wikipedia volunteers worldwide, will make the site more welcoming, easier to use for everyone Update: On 4 May 2023, the desktop update was deployed to Spanish Wikipedia. The updated interface is now live on 95% of the 318 active language versions of Wikipedia for all desktop users. The….

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Experience some of the world’s most beautiful places with Wiki Loves Earth 2022

Think about that feeling you get when you are walking through pristine nature. Do you think it can be captured in a single photo?  The Wiki Loves Earth photography competition celebrates the world’s natural heritage, encompassing everything from small parks to massive nature reserves. It asks photographers to dive into those areas to pick out….

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Wikimedia Sound Logo

The search for The Sound of All Human Knowledge begins: Global contest aims to identify the first ever sound logo for Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects

This post is also available in: اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ, 中文, Bahasa Indonesia, Deutsch, Español, Français, हिंदी, Русский, Português, & 한국어. Update: Submissions to the Sound of All Human Knowledge contest are now closed.  Voting on the top 10 sounds will take place from 6 – 19 December on Wikimedia Commons, with the winner announced in 2023.  Between….

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Wikimania 2022 header

Wikimania 2022: The festival edition brings together Wikipedia volunteers around the world for virtual and in person celebrations of free knowledge

10 August, 2022 – Every year, hundreds of Wikimedians – the volunteers who make Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects possible – come together to celebrate free knowledge at the annual Wikimania global conference. Now in its 17th edition, the conference looks different this year than it has in the past. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to….

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Front view of the WIPO Conference Hall

Seven Wikimedia chapters rejected as permanent observers to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Geneva, Switzerland — Today, seven Wikimedia chapters—independent Wikimedia movement affiliate organizations—were rejected from gaining accreditation as permanent observers to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Several of WIPO’s accredited observers, including Communia, Creative Commons, Education International, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, as well as organizations such as Internet Archive, showed their support for….

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World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland

Six Wikimedia Chapters Rejected as Observers to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Geneva, Switzerland — Today, six Wikimedia chapters—independent Wikimedia movement affiliate organizations—were rejected from gaining accreditation to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). WIPO is the specialized United Nations (UN) agency that determines global policies on copyright, patents, and trademarks. The Wikimedia chapters of France, Germany, Italy, Mexico,….

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