[Foundation-l] A question for American Wikimedians

[Fred Bauder]

> On Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at fairpoint.net>
> wrote:
>
>> > For some time I am a bit puzzled by the fact that I don't know any
>> > African American Wikimedian. For some time just because I am living
>> in
>> > a European country without African population, so everything seemed
>> to
>> > me quite normal for a long time.
>> >
>> > I tried to make a parallel between Roma people and African Americans,
>> > but it is not a good one. It is very hard to find a Roma with
>> > university degree. At the other side, two former State Secretaries
>> are
>> > African Americans and present US president is almost, too.
>> >
>> > What are the reasons? Why American Wikimedian community is
>> exclusively
>> > white?
>> >
>> > Maybe the answer to that question would give us an idea what should
>> we
>> > solve to get more contributors.
>>
>> The short answer: Wikipedia editors are volunteers and
>> African-Americans
>> rarely volunteer.
>
>
> Wow, I don't even know what to say to that, Fred.  Actually, I do.  As a
> white American who has lived in the American south his entire life, the
> area
> with the most racial tension as a whole (you can localize communities in
> cities like LA or Detroit), that is entirely untrue.  Statistics might be
> found that show that African Americans are less likely to be identified
> as
> volunteers in survey,  but African Americans most certainly are even more
> community oriented than white folk.
>
> I can think of five Wikimedians off the top of my head that are African
> Americans.  I can think of almost ten Hispanic Americans.  I can think of
> a
> Moroccan (@Nathan) because we have one on the English Wikipedia's
> Arbitration committee with FayssalF.
>
> I don't pay much attention to age, gender, or sexual orientation on
> Wikipedia or other projects, because it doesn't matter.  What we reveal
> about ourselves is our choice, and if you seek out personal information
> that
> is your choice.  On the internet, no one knows you're a dog.
>
>
> --
> ~Keegan

I wish I could live in the world you wish, where poverty and oppression
of a people did not damage it. The question was not whether there are a
few who edit, but why there is not mass participation, and trouble when
it does emerge.

Fred Bauder