MDAH has partnered with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative to host a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Friday, September 23, at 2 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register. Bring a laptop or similar device for editing and writing.
“We’re excited to partner with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative to expand material about Mississippi women on Wikipedia,” said Sarah Campbell, director of programs and publications at MDAH. “We know that many people turn to free online resources like Wikipedia, and it is important that what they find there is solid information based on rich archival sources like those we hold.”
Designed to introduce people to editing and writing Wikipedia articles, this event aims to inspire people to contribute to Mississippi women’s stories, increasing the representation of women on the popular platform.
There will be an initial livestreamed overview of the in-person Wikipedia Edit-a-thon event followed by the event’s editing and writing portion, which will not be livestreamed. Streaming of this event will be made available on MDAH’s social media platforms.
“Less than 19% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women, and only 1 in 10 editors on the site identify as women,” said Kelly Doyle, open knowledge coordinator for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. “Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is excited to partner with MDAH to make more women from Mississippi’s history visible on Wikipedia.”
The Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative has hosted several other Wikipedia Edit-a-thons. Its first Votes for Women Edit-a-thon, which took place in 2019, was a collaboration with the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
This program was made possible through generous funding for Wikimedia collaborations between the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and Smithsonian Affiliations by the Craig Newmark Philanthropies. The Two Mississippi Museums, as a part of MDAH, is a Smithsonian Affiliate. The museums are located at 222 North Street in downtown Jackson. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.
