Wokepedia: This is Us, Dudley Randall

Randall Pearson & his real life namesake, poet Dudley Randall

The idea of Wokepedia is that ordinary people, working with intent, can make lasting changes to Wikipedia that will lead in more equable and less biased coverage of topics of minority interest, and promote a raised level of consciousness among Wikipedia readers. Anyone can be a part of it.

Over the next several weeks I’m planning on doing some case studies of recent Wikipedia edits I’ve made.  I’ll cover why I made them, what process I followed, and what the outcomes were.  The intent here is not to pat myself of the back, but hopefully inspire others to look for similar opportunities.

This first week I’m starting with a hit television show that I happen to enjoy watching, and have featured here before.

This is Us: This is currently one of the top shows on television, so its page definitely sees a lot of traffic.  One of the most distinctive things about the show is its commitment to behind-the-scenes diversity –something that’s undoubtedly been a big part of the show’s success.  I added a section to the page highlighting this commitment, noting how rare it is, and mentioning some of the black writers and directors by name.  OUTCOME: Too early to tell.  This is a relatively major change, and some people might consider it editorializing, but I think there’s a good case to make for its importance, which I described in the description of my edit.  Of course, I made sure to cite my information.

Dudley Randall : Similar, I’m sure, to many people, I first heard of poet Dudley Randall when he was mentioned on the show as character Randall’s namesake.  Intrigued, I did some research and found out he was a real person, and a key figure in the Black Arts Movement. It only took a few minutes to add cross links between his Wikipedia page, and the This is Us page, and now fans of the show can easily find out more about him and his actual work. OUTCOME: Of demonstrated general interest, well-documented and uncontroversial –this edit probably isn’t going anywhere.

 

W Wokepedia Editor

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If you’re interested in being a part of Wokepedia, feel free to use the userbox above.  Here’s also a link to a relevant Wiki Project. More case studies are coming…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Inclusion

 

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