Wikipedia means the world to me. I have edited and written a few articles for the online encyclopedia, and I just donated to their foundation, as I do regularly. (Donate here.)
One of the things I love most about Wikipedia is that it's a fandom of knowledge, an experiment in democracy: its users are (or are encouraged to be) its producers.
While it's not perfect, it knows it, and says so: the Wikipedia article "Reliability of Wikipedia" includes links, for instance, to its own "multiple systemic biases".
What would make the encyclopedia better is more participation on the part of its users, which it invites.
So, given that it's all about the importance of participation, I emailed to Katherine Maher, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, an edit of the thank-you letter she sent me.
Here's a clip of Maher's thank-you letter:
"Dear Fresca,
"Thank you for your one-time gift of $ 50.00. Your support of Wikipedia’s mission means everything right now.This letter feels very personal this year. I’m writing to you from my home, which has also become my office. Perhaps you can relate. It seems like so much has been upended in one way or another over the past year—pandemic, school closures, economic strain, the list goes on."
[END CLIP]
Hm. Do you notice something's missing? Something upended in the past year (or, I would say, one of the things that upended the year, not something that "has been upended")--something that shouldn't be shunted to "the list goes on"?
In the spirit of Wikipedia, I wrote a reply suggesting possible edits, ...with sources:
[BEGIN REPLY]
Hello!I am happy to support Wikipedia--I just wrote on my social media that it is one of the loves of my life. [1]I want to suggest an edit to your thank-you letter. To the list of things that have upended our year, I would add "a growing movement for racial justice" or "the killing of George Floyd" (the title of the Wikipedia article)---or some other phrase to acknowledge the global response to the death of George Floyd in police custody.The lack of an overt mention suggests that these events are not important upenders ("and the list goes on" means "other less important things", right?).They are important around the world.
For instance, as you know, Merriam-Webster agreed to update its definition of racism after a 22-year-old Black woman requested that it include a definition of systemic oppression.
From VOA News:
"The worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody last month in Minnesota, have resulted in a sea change in public attitudes regarding racial and social injustice.
A Civiqs poll comparing support for Black Lives Matter between April 2017 and June 2020 found a significant increase in support. In 2017, 37% of registered voters supported BLM, while in 2020, 52% supported the movement."[2]Thank you for your work!Wikipedia means the world to me.--Fresca[1] What I posted on social media:
"Wikipedia is one of the loves of my life: it's proof that we can cooperate to build a better world.It shouldn't work--a bunch of strangers writing an encyclopedia?--but it does!(It's not perfect: Wikipedia itself warns that it's not strictly reliable, but it's a great starting point. It taught me to check my sources--there is no wholly reliable human source of knowledge.)I've edited and written a few articles, but mostly I support it with $, which I just did.Also, I love and respect that Wikipedia questions itself and publishes its own self-critique--what a model![2] "How George Floyd's Death Has Impacted American Life", Sandra Lemaire , June 26, 2020, VOA News, https://www.voanews.com/usa/race-america/how-george- floyds-death-has-impacted- american-life
[END REPLY]
| I expect fundraising communication is automated. I'll be curious to see if I get a reply and/or, even better, if the letter is changed. Here's hoping! | ||||||
