Stephen LaPorte becomes the new General Counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation announced Stephen LaPorte as General Counsel. Stephen was previously Deputy General Counsel at the Foundation; he has held several leadership roles in the Legal department, covering a range of legal issues including copyright, trademarks, governance, and public policy.
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….
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,….
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,….
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….
The finances of free knowledge: Lessons in transparency and impact
If you’ve ever spent a distracted afternoon on Wikipedia, you’ve likely clicked on the small “talk” tab at the top of the page. Each Wikipedia article has its own Talk Page — a place for volunteer editors to connect, debate, and discuss the minutiae of a point or their different perspectives on a thorny issue.….
Wikimedia Foundation announces tenth transparency report
The Wikimedia Foundation has supported free access to the sum of all knowledge for nearly sixteen years. This longstanding vision would not be possible without the dedication of community members who contribute content to the Wikimedia projects. As a global platform for free knowledge, we are sometimes approached by governments and private parties with requests….
Wikimedia releases ninth transparency report
The Wikimedia Foundation has supported free access to the sum of all knowledge for fifteen years. This longstanding vision would not be possible without the dedication of community members who contribute content to the Wikimedia projects. As a global platform for free knowledge, we are sometimes approached by governments and private parties with requests to….
Wikimedia releases eighth transparency report
Our newly-released transparency report highlights the requests we received in the second half of 2017.