Black Lives Matter at Concordia 2020

Two weeks ago, I shared the virtual stage with Kevin Wenzel, Concordia’s Director of Global Programming for the Concordia 2020 Annual Summit. The session was a part of an afternoon of programming around Tech & Inclusive Workforce Development and focused on “Knowledge Equity in a Digital World.”  It was a great honor to share my thoughts on the power of diversity in technology, and the work that we’re leading at the Wikimedia Foundation on knowledge equity - the just and equal representation of knowledge and people, addressing historical gaps and amplifying new perspectives.

I want to tell you more about the conversation that we had. But first let me share how a simple response...a few strokes on a keyboard meant for good, launched me into a discussion on race, Back Lives Matter, and technology with the team at Concordia.

On June 8th, I received an email from Concordia. It was titled: Black Lives Matter. I had been receiving a number of these emails, as many of us had - and had recently co-authored such a statement on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation along with our organization’s CEO. But receiving this from Concordia, a renowned organization dedicated to social impact, caught my attention. I’ve been an attendee at their Annual Summit held in New York City during the United Nations Global Assembly, and found their draw of diverse attendees and perspectives to be one where this kind of statement would resonate.

Their statement was a commitment to change. I had read many of those types of commentaries throughout the month. But what drew me into the statement was the call to action, along with “actionable ways in which Concordia can carry on and amplify the movement towards justice, change, and equity.” They went on to list 5 steps that they could take over the next 3 months, and being a “measured optimist”, I couldn’t continue reading fast enough. 

Step #3 stated: “We will dedicate at least two main stage sessions at our 2020 Annual Summit to racial inequality in the United States. We will commit to elevating more Black voices on our stage than at our 2019 Annual Summit.”

I read that, paused, and wrote them back. 

Dear Concordia partners, 

It was encouraging to read your response to use the Concordia platform to enhance visibility and awareness for Black Lives Matter. As the COO of Wikimedia, a Black woman in leadership, and a human who has attended your events in the past, it was important for me to offer a brief reply in acknowledgement. Our CEO, Katherine and I have also launched a statement, listing 9 actions that we will take within our organization, our product, advocacy and other areas to put a further stake in the ground to support racial justice. I hope you will read our statement and share with others. Additionally, I would like to make myself available to the organization as you partner to deliver on actions 3, 4, and 5. 

I look forward to hearing from you and wish you success, peace and power as you move forward to deliver on these actions.

Thank you for your commitment to Black Lives Matter.

Janeen Uzzell

I closed my email and moved on with the work of the day. Two days later I received a reply from the Concordia team, and the following week we were on a call to talk more as they planned discussions for the Annual Summit.

And then 2 weeks ago, we came full circle, sharing in a fireside chat that I believe is the start of more thought leadership on the topic of Black Lives Matter, with an audience that has great influence in the world.

Here are just a few of the highlights shared. You can view the full discussion on the Concordia website.

More importantly - never underestimate the power of your voice and its use for good. Thank you Concordia. I hope that you will continue to use your stage for social impact, global causes, and to change the course of history for Black lives.

• The scale of Wikipedia is immense. It contains nearly 50 million articles across roughly 300 languages, is edited by more than 250,000 volunteer editors every month around the world, and accessed by 1.5 billion unique devices every month. 
• But the knowledge on Wikipedia is incomplete. Only 1% of the people that read Wikipedia are also regular editors on Wikipedia, writing the articles you read. This is not representative of the world we live in. 
• Information is a powerful tool for influencing how people are perceived. Wikipedia is a platform that provides that knowledge - and so the stories on Wikipedia need to ensure that the perception of Black people is an accurate one. Because Wikipedia is a resource that’s relevant, it’s used heavily, and it’s a voice that people trust. 
• We believe that our free knowledge projects are an opportunity to disrupt the traditional narrative of how history was written a century ago. We focus on knowledge equity - the just and equal representation of knowledge and people.. 
• On September 23, 2020 Breonna Taylor and her family were denied justice when a state grand jury did not indict Brett Hankinson on her death, but instead on three counts of wanton endangerment. In the days following, social media was flooded with outrage, condemnation, and confusion. These same conversations were happening on Wikipedia, as editors diligently worked to piece together the conflicting media coverage of what happened that night in order to tell her story. And as they debated and discussed, the page about Breonna Taylor was viewed over 700,000 times in the 48 hours after the verdict.. This is why our participation matters. Contributors to Wikipedia need to reflect the world that we live in. It’s not just the information we include, but who writes it. 

Who tells your story matters.

Share your thoughts with me on Twitter @janeenuzzell or here on LinkedIn.