Want to make a difference this Black History Month? Start with Wikipedia.

Today is the start of Black History Month, an annual observance that originated in the United States as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

If you are looking for a way to share and elevate Black stories this February, one of the best places to do so is on Wikipedia. Why?

Wikipedia is one of the first places people go when looking for information. In fact, it is read more than 15 billion times every month. Knowledge on Wikipedia also populates responses on Google Search, Amazon Alexa, and other voice assistants. So, adding or improving information on Wikipedia is a powerful action, with the potential of reaching people beyond the online encyclopedia. 

Although Wikipedia strives to represent the full, rich diversity of all humanity, it is still far from reaching this goal. Because Wikipedia is powered by humans, it is also vulnerable to human biases. Major gaps persist in the percentage of Wikipedia content written by and about Black people. 

The good news is that a growing number of people and initiatives have been working to close these gaps on Wikipedia — and you can join them! 

Several events are happening all month long for both new and experienced Wikipedia contributors. We invite you to get involved, spread the word, and continue contributing even after Black History Month ends.

Join these events: 

• All February 2021: Black History Edit-A-Thon (University of Toronto)
  • Edit Together Sessions happening every Friday
• February 6, 2021 (17:30 – 20:30 UTC): Online edit-a-thon @ Minneapolis Institute of Art (Black Lunch Table)
• February 13, 2021 (15:30 – 17:30 UTC): College Art Association, Annual Conference (Black Lunch Table)
• February 15 – 21, 2021 (17:00 UTC) Breakthrough Festival and Wikipedia Edit-a-thon (Science Friday)
• February 21 – 27, 2021 (17:00 – 20:00 UTC): African Americans In STEM Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon (Smithsonian)
• February 25, 2021 (18:30 – 22:00 UTC): Black Wiki History Month 2021 at the Schomburg Center Online with NYU LA and more! (AfroCrowd)
  • Guest speaker: ImageNation Cinema founder Moikgantsi Kgama
• February 26, 2021 (21:00 – 00:00 UTC): AfroCROWD and Oregon State University: Writing Black History of the Pacific Northwest into Wikipedia Editathon 2021
  • Guest Speaker: Spelman College’s Alexandria Lockett
• February 27, 2021 (17:30 – 20:00 PM UTC): AfroCROWD, Wikimedia Nigeria and African Women On Board: Black History Month 2021 – Celebrate Women Leaders in Africa’s Diaspora with Wikimedia Nigeria and African Women On Board.
  • Guest Speaker: Author Lola Akinmade Åkerström
• February 28, 2021 (17:00 UTC): Black History Everyday @ Rutgers (Black Lunch Table)

Are we missing an event? Comment below, email us at diff@wikimedia.org, or leave a note on the Diff project talk page on Meta, and we will add it to the list.