Simmons and Wentworth to Host Virtual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

BOSTON (March 27, 2020) – Simmons University and Wentworth Institute of Technology announced today that they are hosting a virtual “Digitizing Women’s History: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon” event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31st.

The event is part of the Digitizing Women’s History series that marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited voter discrimination based on sex. During the edit-a-thon, participants can help make women’s history more visible on the internet by writing and editing Wikipedia entries for various female activists – particularly suffrage and civil rights activists and activists who were women of color.

“We know this is a difficult time for many in our community, and we’ve been working hard to transition this event online and make it a fun and educational experience for participants,” said Laura R. Prieto, Alumni Chair in Public Humanities at Simmons University, who is working on a series of projects about the meaning and legacies of the women’s suffrage movement, before and after ratification of the 19th Amendment. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to gather virtually and share more knowledge about how American women won voting rights and other civil rights. It seems like a fitting tribute to mark Women’s History Month on the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.”

The event is open to the public and no experience editing Wikipedia entries is required. Students, faculty, librarians and experts from Simmons, Wentworth and Northeastern University will be available to provide editing support and help throughout the day.

“This virtual event will enable students and members of the community to learn about and share stories of powerful activists and other historical figures,” said Allison Lange, Wentworth Institute of Technology assistant professor and a leading expert on the suffrage movement. “The Nineteenth Amendment continues to have a powerful and lasting legacy one hundred years later, and we invite students and members of the public to join us for this virtual event.”

The Wikipedia Edit-a-thon features a series of presentations, including a welcome and introduction on how to find sources at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., along with suffrage lightning talks at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Ideas for articles to write and edit can be found on the Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Edit-a-thon dashboard.

To register for the event, please visit the dashboard and click on the “Join Program” button on the bottom right hand corner. The passcode is: wlzpemhn. Please email digwomenssuffrage@gmail.com with any questions.

About Simmons University

Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons is a respected private university offering more than 50 majors and programs for undergraduate women and graduate programs open to all on campus, in blended formats, or entirely online in nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library and information science. Founded in 1899, Simmons has established a model of higher education that other colleges and universities are only recently beginning to adapt: the combination of education for leadership in high-demand professional fields with the intellectual foundation of the liberal arts. The result is a Simmons graduate prepared not only to work, but to lead in professional, civic, and personal life — a vision of empowerment that Simmons calls preparation for life’s work. Follow Simmons on Twitter at @SimmonsUniv, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/school/simmons-university/.

About Wentworth Institute of Technology

Founded in 1904 and located in Boston, Mass., Wentworth Institute of Technology is a nationally ranked university offering 19 bachelor’s degree programs in areas such as engineering, architecture, computer science, applied mathematics, business management, computer networking, construction management, and design. The Institute also offers master’s degrees in applied computer science, architecture, civil engineering, construction management, facility management, and technology management. Wentworth is known for its emphasis on career preparation for students through leading co-op programs and alignment with 21st-century workforce needs.

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