User talk:Aleexconner

January 2024
Hello. This is a message to let you know that one or more of your recent contributions, such as the edit(s) you made to Marilou Awiakta, did not appear to be constructive and have been reverted. Please take some time to familiarise yourself with our policies and guidelines. You can find information about these at our welcome page which also provides further information about contributing constructively to this encyclopedia. If you only meant to make test edits, please use your sandbox for that. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you may leave a message on my talk page. Thank you. Sinclairian (talk) 18:31, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

April 2024
Hello, I'm ARoseWolf. I noticed that you added or changed content in an article, Marilou Awiakta, but you didn't provide a reliable source. It's been removed and archived in the page history for now, but if you'd like to include a citation and re-add it, please do so. You can have a look at referencing for beginners. If you think I made a mistake, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Thank you. A Rose Wolf  10:46, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Please do not remove content or templates from pages on Wikipedia, as you did with this edit to Marilou Awiakta, without giving a valid reason for the removal in the edit summary. Your content removal does not appear constructive and has been reverted. Please make use of the sandbox if you would like to experiment with test edits. Thank you. Johand 199 (Talk)  22:40, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Managing a conflict of interest
Hello, Aleexconner, I am an editor here who is familiar with your mother's work as an antinuclear activist. Some of the subjects I have focused on here at Wikipedia are nuclear legacy issues (such as Nuclear labor issues), as well as Indigenous arts and culture. I am very familiar with the environmental and human health impact of Oak Ridge national labs, and have done a lot of research on the impact of the nuclear weapons and power industries on Indigenous peoples.

I think I may be able to provide some help with your mother's article.

First, though, you need to understand that as her daughter you have a direct conflict of interest WP:COI. Wikipedia guidance on COI states that you need to stop editing the article directly, and instead make suggested edits on the talk page so that unconnected editors can review the suggestions and determine whether or not they should be added to the article. All suggestions need to be backed up by a reliable source. Because WP is an encyclopedia we use fully independent secondary sources like newspaper, magazine and academic journal articles about the person or reviews of their work. We cannot use primary sources (like what the person says about themself) or any "word of mouth" content (like what you personally know about your mother.)

This is how the integrity and neutral point of view of encyclopedia articles is maintained.

Please create a user page and place a notification that you have a conflict of interest with the article. (click on the red user page link and begin typing). Then stop editing the article directly and instead make short edit requests on the article talk page and make sure every fact or claim is backed up by a reliable source (add a link to the source). We are all volunteers here so often these edit requests can take days, weeks or months to be added to the article. For more information on conflict of interest read: WP:COI and info on edit requests WP:Edit requests. I hope this information has been helpful. Netherzone (talk) 12:59, 19 April 2024 (UTC)


 * I had started a similar message but had to get off. I was coming back to finish but so glad Netherzone responded. I don't think any COI template does the justice this message did. What I would say to Aleex is that I fully expected to go to the article and find nuances that could easily be remedied. However, I found large sections of unreliable sourced content and was forced to remove your edits. As Netherzone states, we are all willing to work with you to ensure the article contains accurate content but that content has to be backed up in independent reliable sources. Do you have anything from the EBCI or any published record your mother is a member? That alone would remedy that portion of the article. -- A Rose Wolf  18:24, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
 * what is EBCI? 2606:83C0:A803:500:DF28:C333:73B3:B8C (talk) 22:05, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, one of the three federally recognized tribes. Please log in when editing. Netherzone (talk) 22:23, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
 * You aren't helping matters or building trust if you continue to disregard our guidance and edit the article anyway. Netherzone was extremely kind. Don't take that for granted.-- A Rose Wolf  08:51, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I am completely confused by all these emails from you, for Marilou Awiakta is not a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and nowhere in any of her materials is that stated. I don't know why you reverted to the old info where someone had posted that she was a member of this band, for that is not correct. All of what I had published can be duly referenced from the following source:  Archive Collection of Marilou Awiakta’s work, Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 2020.  I'm not sure what else to do, for I'm just trying to make sure the info is correct and your system seems extremely complicated.  Please advise for all the info I posted is in the referenced archives I just noted and unfortunately had neglected to include when I made the changes. I can provide a contact for you at the University of Tennessee's Archive Department if needed so let me know.  Thanks and have a nice weekend!  Aleex Conner Aleexconner (talk) 18:51, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

Cherokee heritage claim
@Aleexconner Hello. According to sources I have seen, your mother claims Eastern/Overhill Cherokee ancestry through her maternal grandfather. Both of the reverend's parents are listed as "white" on the US census and I cannot find a single member of the McCormack or Burk families on either the Baker Roll or the Dawes Rolls. Could you shed light on which ancestor exactly was Cherokee and how? Where were your Cherokee ancestors during the Trail of Tears? Can you name an ancestor who is listed on any tribal roll? Any such information, if mentioned in a reliable source, could be incorporated into the article to verify your mother's Cherokee heritage claims. Bohemian Baltimore (talk) 11:10, 30 April 2024 (UTC)


 * I have a family tree that I have researched extensively which I will send you when I get back from vacation. Thanks for your response. 174.194.134.55 (talk) 20:33, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Would a DNA test result of Marilou Awiakta help settle this question? 174.198.4.121 (talk) 06:51, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
 * I got an email saying you replied but I cannot find the reply on this site. Please advise. Thank you. 174.198.4.121 (talk) 07:21, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
 * A family tree you researched could not be used as reliable. Just as I said to @Bohemian Baltimore on the talk page. What you or me know or think we know can not be considered reliable. Neither can our own personal research (WP:OR). Content may only come from reliable sources (WP:RS). -- A Rose Wolf  10:36, 1 May 2024 (UTC)