> On Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Fred Bauder <fredb...@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 _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l