User:Jdd 2120/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Ma Rainey

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose Ma Rainey's wikipedia page because she's a crucial matriarch figure in blues culture. Despite her stature within the genre, she is not prominent in the mainstream. I was curious to see how fleshed out her page is, considering the many of wiki editors might not realize her significance. Before opening the page, I hoped that the editors did justice to her legacy.

I'm impressed by the amount of detail this article employs, especially in her early life and references to her catalog. It also emphasizes her collaborations with other notable artists, including Louis Armstrong, and more controversial aspects of her artistry, such as allusions to homosexuality. However, her "personal life and death" and "in popular culture" sections are glaringly sparse.

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)

Lead Section

First sentence and paragraph of lead section gives a sufficient summary of 'Ma' and her career. They even reference two of her most prominent recordings to give curious readers direction for further research. The lead section also sufficiently summarizes key sections from the article such as early life and career beginnings, significant records, notable collaborators, and her impact on popular culture. All details in this section are in the article.

Content

Article addresses underrepresented narratives of black Vaudeville artists in the early 20th century, both of Ma Rainey and her frequent collaborators. "According to the website queerculturalcenter.org" in the Recording Career sentence can be deleted, since the citation is already embedded in the article. Actively being improved on--mentions of her receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2023 (which happened less than 24 hours of my evaluation of the article). All content is relevant and up to date. Needs more detail about Ma's personal life, particularly about her separation from 'Pa' Rainey. Expound on how she was a proprietress of three theaters prior to her death and what family left behind after her death. Explains how her songs or actions that celebrate queerness has had a positive effect on feminism and queer liberation movements. The article should also present negative reactions she received and how they affected her career.

Tone and Balance

Article's tone is neutral and impartial, even when referring to disputed aspects of her life (e.g. her true birth date, the nature of her son's relationship with Bessie Smith).

Sources and References

Most sources are from at least the last decade. Queerculturalcenter.com is a questionable source, especially since its domain no longer exists and can only be accessible via internet archives. All other sources are accessible. Many sources occasionally biased news outlets such as The Guardian and The New York Times. More scholarly sources would elevate the article's credibility.

Organization and Writing Quality

Well written, organized, and easy to understand.

Images and Media

The author of the article's primary image is not properly sourced. The image only has a link to the original article where it was featured. The image of Rainey's band is also not sourced to the particular author, it only references an article that it appears in. There could be more images of Ma, her family, and her act included throughout this article. There are only two images featured.

Talk Page Discussion

The article has been revised twice as a part of the Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment program. The talk page is rarely used with. Editors on the Talk page from several years ago allege that Ma's proven romantic encounters with young men have been erased from the article to favor the narrative that she was LGBTQ. Students assigned to polish this article fixed confusing wording in the Lead section and body of the article. The article is part of WikiProject Georgia, WikiProject African Diaspora, WikiProject Women in Music, WikiProject Biography/Musicians, WikiProject Women's History, and WikiProject LGBT studies/Person. All of these projects rated it "C-class, Mid-importance."

Overall Impressions

Due to recent student editing, Ma Rainey's page is more digestible and organized. Even prior to these student edits, her page is surprisingly well-kept and provides good detail about her professional life and impacts. Compared to her early life and professional achievements featured, the sections "Personal life and death" and "In popular culture" are scant. The article could also benefit from more scholarly sources, more images, and proper citations for existing images. With quick citation fixes and additional research, Rainey's article can be in top shape.