Hi, I would like to rename the FTP Masters team—ideally via a General Resolution.
Since the murder of George Floyd, the average fate of Black lives has received much attention. Even the tech sector picked up the "master/slave" topic over a year ago. [2][3][4] There should be little controversy. With a high pass rate, we could all come together as a group—for our shared love of Debian and free software! What do you think about the text below, please? Thanks for reading! Kind regards Felix Lechner [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [2] https://www.wired.com/story/tech-confronts-use-labels-master-slave/ [3] https://www.cnet.com/news/master-and-slave-tech-terms-face-scrutiny-amid-anti-racism-efforts/ [4] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-computer-engineering-terms-ietf.html * * * PROPOSED TEXT In recognizance of the awful history of slavery, the Debian project will rename the "FTP Masters" team. For a long time, the word "master" has been associated with the grave injustices of slavery. [1] While there is a tradition in computing to label primary equipment as a "master" and replicated equipment as "slaves" [2] the use of the word "masters" for a group of people with special privileges [3] shocks the conscience. Within that context, the team's use of the title "wizard" [4] was also problematic. The Ku Klux Klan and its spinoffs used the title "wizard" to style high officials. [5] The team will likewise discontinue the use of the term "wizard" to designate any current or former members. Nothing in this resolution shall impair the continued use of the "master/slave" analogy for technical equipment. "Without a struggle, there can be no progress." (Frederick Douglass) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master/slave_(technology) [3] "The FTP masters can do everything in the archive.", https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/FTPMaster [4] "The FTP Wizard role consists of former team members", https://ftp-master.debian.org/ [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Wizard