Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red/Meetup/274

 Happy 8th Anniversary Women in Red | July 2023

19 July July:

2023 global initiatives:

See also:



 Welcome!

July 19 is Women in Red's 8th Anniversary. We hope all members and those interested in closing the gender gap will share some of their wonderful experiences here. Comment on your first article, your most recent article, a topic that you have enjoyed working on, or salute a fellow WiRer.

Please add your comments here!

 * I came to Wikipedia in 2020, primarily to update articles on the Cherokee. Very quickly I met, a very dedicated member of this project, and , one of the best researchers and writers of articles on women that I have ever met. They introduced me to this project and I fell in love with the mission and purpose almost from the beginning.
 * I recognize the importance of this project every time I watch my daughter read articles that many of you have written and I notice she actually goes to the talk page to see if it was written during one of our edit-a-thons. Speaking as a woman and a reader, we can't begin to realize the impact WiR has had on generations of girls and women by providing for them good quality articles filled with compelling contributions to technology, science, music, writing, politics, academics and many other subjects that women have made throughout history.
 * Since joining I have met so many other amazing editors through this project, not the least of which is . Rosie, you, along with many others, have assisted in guiding this project through its infancy stage and into its current status as a very strong and growing project within this community. I am thankful for what you helped start and have continued to nurture. It is truly remarkable and only possible because of the many hundreds of editors that have created thousands of articles that has added to our collective knowledge about women and women related topics. I celebrate the past 8 years of WiR and hope for continued growth and success in the next 8 years and beyond. -- A Rose Wolf  16:33, 21 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I highly doubt that I would have continued to be a Wikipedia editor had it not been for the founding of Women in Red. As a project, it is unlike most of the others on the platform with which I have been involved. The comradery and support for other editors is exemplary. That doesn't mean we always agree or things don't at times get heated, but unlike other forums of WP, typically a simple ask restores civility. The skill levels of the member editors is vast and it is rare that a query for help appears on the talk page of Women in Red that isn't immediately answered by some helpful soul. I appreciate the constant support we give to each other which allows us to bring women's stories out of obscurity. May we continue to grow for many more years. SusunW (talk) 17:10, 21 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I would also like to highlight as it was as a result of her founding WikiProject Women writers that I first started concentrating on women's biographies. When  suggested we should be "picking up women", I suggested this could be a joint effort with Rosie. And how right I was! While I have created many articles myself, I now increasingly devote time to helping others along and in particular to encouraging contributors interested in writing about women to become members of the project. My greatest regret is that my continuing interest in launching new contests has faced recent problems despite the fact that earlier contests have proved successful. Even in the absence of prizes, these can encourage participation as in WikiProject Women in Green. As an octinagenarian, I don't know how much longer I will be able to support the project but hope to be able to stick around for a number of years to come. I am always particularly happy when I have been able to introduce new contributors to the project and hope that others will follow in my footsteps. For our eighth anniversary, I would strongly encourage our members to devote some of their editing time to looking into the background of those creating new articles about women, whether biographies or achievements, and invite them to join our group. As we grow, we are increasingly likely to show how important women are to our diversified society. Happy anniversary, WiR!--Ipigott (talk) 19:02, 21 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I would like to thank you for messaging me in the early days of my Wikipedia work in late 2020 (not that long ago!); it makes such a difference feeling encouraged and welcomed. Thank you for all your work and efforts. :) Chocmilk03 (talk) 22:12, 22 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I don't really remember how or when I "e-met" . We were both active at WP:DYK. We both focused on creating more women's biographies each March (Women's History Month). We were aware of each other and we respected each other's work, but we didn't collaborate on any particular article. And then one day, in February 2015, Roger left a message on my talkpage asking if I would be interested in developing a submission with him regarding the content gender gap for an upcoming international conference: Wikimania. He said something like, "The door is open; you don't have to knock." I had never co-created a submission for an international conference before, but it took me a nanosecond to decide that I wanted to do this with him. We got to know each other through lots of Skype calls while preparing the submission. Sometimes, we had similar views, and other times, we were divergent in our thinking, but that was probably the beauty of the exercise, as our submission was ultimately accepted.


 * Then, we had a few months to prepare a slidedeck before the July conference. During that time, we made a decision not only to address content gender gap's "what" and "why" as well as the "number" -- the percentage of women's biographies (now that this percentage was published), but we decided to go further, to address the "how" -- how might we improve things. Ergo, we planned for a "secret" launch of Women in Red to occur on 19 July during our Featured Speaker session at Wikimania Mexico City -- a great honor for us. We worked with to design our project pages using WP:WikiProject X. We worked with Max Klein on a script/bot/techno-something to provide a periodic update on the percentage. But truly, we wondered if there'd be 15 minutes of interest after the launch; how long would people be interested in creating women's biographies in the 11 months that aren't Women's History Month? We decided not to set goals (e.g., "let's do this for a year and reassess"; "let's improve the percentage of women's biographies from 15.5% to [foo]"). Instead, we developed a mantra: "Let's move the needle." We told a story using pictures, numbers, and quotes, and we ended the session by inviting the audience to step into the story. Like e-lit, which offers multiple page-turning options, we offered the option to change history. We didn't focus on who you are; instead, we warmly welcomed all genders. We didn't offer potential meetups in lovely museums or libraries or cafes; instead, we suggested that wherever you are in the world, whatever time of day suits you, just write an article about a notable woman.


 * As soon as our session was over, YOU became the story -- all of you who improve women's representation on Wikipedia. And you have not disappointed. You have written thousands of new articles. You have written uncountable new "chapters" in the WiR storybook: 273 events; more than 1,000 redlists; more than 30,000 talkpage posts. You have mentored so many new editors on the "what", the "why", and the "how". YOU are changing the world and I am in your gratitude. --Rosiestep (talk) 00:50, 22 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Thats how I remember it too. I had been working on completing a list of every woman in the archaic DNB and wondered if we could do more. My playful pitch for the next Wikimania was gathering attention. A valid point was that it had an unbalanced author list. Rosie was a prolific and wide ranging contributor to DYK at a time when we were both involved in getting DYKs onto the main page and Rosie also shared a sense of fun. What I don't know is why we have been lucky enough to enjoy the generous contributions of so many talented people like and you. This is a huge task and "moving the needle" on the prime source of info to billions of people is amazing. If a government wanted to do this then they'd create a budget of millions, a building full of bosses and you have neither - but we do have success.  I'm continuing to write an article a day, update twitter and, most importantly, to glow when I see what you've done. Victuallers (talk) 08:25, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Woman's Building Lemaire poster.png My First big project was writing the article on The Woman's Building (Chicago) and the sister article List of women artists exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. I learned so much about public domain and coding, as well as the The Woman's Building. It was also my first trip to the National Museum of Women in the Arts' library, and I saw some beautiful books on the subject. Great fun! WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 18:25, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I first started editing Wikipedia in late 2020, while living in London, locked down in my apartment due to COVID-19 and feeling nostalgic for my home of Aotearoa New Zealand. I remember noticing that several recipients of the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship were red links, which I thought was odd, given they'd won such a notable award... and not coincidentally, several of those were women. I can't actually remember how I came across Women in Red, but I know sent me a lovely welcome message with some useful links after I'd added myself to the list. It's been a really welcoming community, and it helps that many of my fellow New Zealanders are also engaged.
 * Through this community and Women in Green I was inspired to work on getting women's articles to GA status. I remember reading the stub article on Jacquie Sturm and feeling that it really didn't do justice to this amazing woman and her impact on New Zealand literature. I was able to get it to GA status (thanks to as reviewer!) and that is still one of my prouder achievements.
 * I was lucky enough to attend ESEAP 2022 in Sydney on a scholarship and get to meet a number of editors in person, including and  (I honestly felt like I was meeting celebrities!). I am so inspired by all of you and have learned so much just from watching other WiR editors. The edit-a-thons are an especially great motivator for contributing. There is a whakataukī (Māori saying) that strikes me as relevant: Whangaia ka tupu ka puāwai. That which is nurtured blossoms and grows. :) A wonderful community has been nurtured here. Chocmilk03 (talk) 23:27, 22 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Despite just having nearly 10 months of editing experience in total, I'm proud to say that I've authored 23 articles on women and assisted in the creation of 7 others within three months since joining WIR. First and first, I want to thank for informing me about this fantastic project. I'm a regular reader of, who is one of the best women's article authors I've ever met. Other names worth mentioning are  and . I keep a close eye on their efforts. As a proud member of WIR, I plan to contribute to this initiative on a regular basis in the coming years. Congratulations on the anniversary!! Thilsebatti (talk) 06:58, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
 * When I first became aware of WP and its gender problem back in 2015, I posted on the Main Page's talk page complaining that the Main Page was entirely composed of articles about men and traditionally male pursuits - men's sports competitions in the news section, deaths of men in the "recent deaths" section, anniversaries of men's achievements in the "on this day" section, photos by and of men in the "featured image" section and so on. I was roundly criticised for being naive/wanting the unattainable/told that "this is an accurate reflection of the world" but I was also rescued by someone (sorry I cannot remember who!) who directed me to WiR and the gender gap project. I love the mission of this group and the wonderfully helpful and supportive editors who collaborate so well with a common goal in mind. Looking forward to continuing to contribute for a long time ahead!! MurielMary (talk) 10:19, 23 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I retired from wikipedia editing in 2013, so wasn't around when WiR was set up in 2015. At that point I'd been a bit involved in the Women's History wikiproject, and left various redlink lists for women lying around, so was pleased when some of these were subsumed into WiR redlink lists. Gradually after 2016 I drifted back into WP editing, and when I did so found the drama-free sense of encouragement in WiR lovely. I only officially joined in 2020, but remember finding WiR inspirational for some time before that! I feel gratitude for this community, and admiration at its achievements at so many different scales. It would be very nice to meet some of you one day. Dsp13 (talk) 10:28, 26 June 2023 (UTC)
 * My Women in Red journey began on 15 July 2017. At that time I had written bios of two Australian women writers and had no idea how absorbing editing would become. I have found WiR to be a great source of help (thank you) and recommend that new editors, learning the basics at editathons, join WiR to benefit from the community. My wiki work kept me busy through COVID lockdowns and I joined the Ideas team, who plan and develop the meetup pages each month. Like User:Chocmilk03, I was delighted to meet User:Rosiestep in Sydney last year. I also participated on a panel with her, named in honour of feminist scholar and Wikimedian Adrianne Wadewitz (1977–2014). WiR is an really important contributor to Wikipedia. Oronsay (talk) 05:28, 27 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Just want to say thank you to everyone (especially, I don't think anyone will disagree) for this project and all the work in it. Kingsif (talk) 20:46, 27 June 2023 (UTC)


 * This group is the best part of Wikipedia that I've found so far. Such a supportive group, running great events, making it easy to contribute in little and not-so-little ways...I appreciate all the contributors here! Thank you for the community, but also just for all the edits that everyone makes ensuring better representation on Wikis. DrThneed (talk) 04:52, 7 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Women in Red was the first WP community I really felt part of after I joined Wikipedia in 2017. It provided an invaluable safe space for me when I was first learning how to write and edit articles (while fighting back against gender inequality!). The Women in Red World Contest in November 2017 was an amazing event -- I managed to write 19 articles (which still exist today), and it motivated me to keep creating and improving articles about women. I've met a lot of editing, writing, and research superstars here since then, and I've been perpetually impressed by the teamwork and organization demonstrated by WiR members and coordinators. Here's to many more years of WiR! Alanna the Brave (talk) 12:08, 11 July 2023 (UTC)


 * As a Programme Manager at Wikimedia UK, I've talked about Women in Red more times than I can properly remember, when I talk about the work being done to help close the gender gap on-wiki. A huge shout out to the team at the University of Edinburgh for their regular monthly Women in Red events! Sara Thomas (WMUK) (talk) 15:17, 11 July 2023 (UTC)


 * I think Christine Williams (nutritionist) was my first WIR article, created on 11 Nov 2015, and SusunW created its talk page next day, with the WIR-4 banner coming later. Since then I've created at least one article for every editathon except one (missed out on Ada Lovelace Day), though I went back and ticked off WIRs 1,2,and 3 retrospectively. I've kept a table of them all, as well as my general userpage listing of all my article creations. (I'm so glad that I kept that listing, from the start: it explains to me why I created each article, something I'd otherwise sometimes have no idea of: I recommend the practice!). I tend to create solid little stubs with links to good resources which the reader can follow if they want more information, and which are enough for unarguable notability, and to concentrate on the infrastructure, in particular creating redirects from all the likely variations of a woman's name. It's gratifying how often that turns other red links blue - someone may appear in a list of award winners with her full name "Jane Anne Xyz", even though the article is at "Jane Xyz" because she never uses the "Anne". I also add women to surname list pages: they need to be represented there, as well as helping the reader who finds a reference to "Xyz's key work on the topic". I enjoy finding a woman to write about who is in the overlap between multiple WiR editathons, just as a challenge - so I've contributed to the recent spat about our multiple banners, sorry about that! I admire those of our colleagues who are producing substantial articles on hitherto-ignored women around the world, and who are keeping this wonderful project on the road - SusunW, Rosiestep, IPigott, Victuallers, and others I'll be forgetting to mention.


 * My first Wikipedia article creation, in 2007, was Mary Robinson (Maid of Buttermere), so I got off to a good start, but looking through the articles I created from then to 2015 there weren't many women at all (24 in 8 years, at a quick count), so WIR has had a major effect on my editing.


 * I'm increasingly worried about the deterioration of our precious encyclopedia over time as links go dead and as drive-by editors make careless (or worse) edits. I sometimes think I should take a break and stop creating articles but go back to look at each of my creations (or each of the creations in a WIR editathon) and check the links, look at the edit history, upgrade to my current standards (eg add use British English and use dmy dates when appropriate), and so on. I added a missing category to that first WIR article, Christine Williams, just now when I looked at it. Wikipedia: the infinite jigsaw puzzle, where there's always something else to add or improve. Pam  D  08:25, 12 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Were it not for your lessons in adding women to surname pages, disamb pages and the like, many of my articles would be outliers. I really appreciate your reminders of the importance of integration of women's articles and your help on the technical side when I have to create such a page. Like you, I enjoy writing about multi-faceted people and your work has inspired me to find women who overlap into multiple editathon topics. SusunW (talk) 18:32, 12 July 2023 (UTC)


 * I'm an academic who began with Women in Red this year, rather by accident. Two of my friends found early women earning medical or nursing degrees at my university, four-plus decades before we officially admitted women. This made me angry ("You mean Clara Barton the nurse is famous, while her many woman doctor friends are not?"), and so I dug up Women in Red and got quasi-serious. The learning curve is huge, and I've only just discovered how to add women to Wikidata. My next trick will be to learn how to correctly tag a Wikidata woman so that she pops up on Women in Red (I think I have it, someone help?) I already had a casual hobby putting things on Wikipedia, mostly about women, but it wasn't focused. Besides these other items from before, I've written 18 women's biographies recently (as of today, July 15, 2023), mostly from the Women in Red list, and one biography of a man who mentored most of them by directing their dissertations. First article in this cohort was Jeannette Judson Sumner, a woman my friend Jane found in the archives. Fortunaa (talk) 18:11, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi ! I too try to add women to wikidata. I am not sure, but I think if you fill in a field for occupation (and there is no article) the occupation will trigger the inclusion in a red list. If you are referring to getting the name to be included on one of the events like #1day1woman, please just add the name to the list. I have added Mary Nicholas Arnoldy to that list. That will ensure the article becomes part of the Women in Red family and get more eyeballs. The editors who create the article are the ones to add the articles to the lists. Happy editing! WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 23:35, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Bless you for this answer! That's what I understood, too, so I'll check later and see if they all made it onto the list. Fortunaa (talk) 01:16, 16 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Contributing to WikiProject Women in Red has been absolutely transformational, not just in my editing here, but transformational on my outlook and life. I've learnt so much about compassion, compromise and justice, and received wisdom from a wide range of editors. All of these things have widened my outlook and made me a better person. It's a real joy to work so collaboratively with you all! Lajmmoore (talk) 11:15, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Happy Anniversary women in wiki. During lockdown I watched Sandi Toksvig's great podcasts on notable and ignored women. At the end of the series she encouraged us all to start editing to improve the balance of wikipedia biographies. I had a go and was immediately welcomed by Ipigott. Every time I have tried a little something I have been supported and helped and my stuff improved. I don't know what the rest of the wikipedia community is like but I absolutely love the WiR project and its friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and civil members. Thanks to you all. May the project continue to thrive and the gender balance improve!Balance person (talk) 12:05, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Go Women in Red! Thank you for fueling a movement! Your friends at Women Do News. --Angshah (talk) 12:55, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Hello, please how to join?Bile rene (talk) 13:40, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * , since you are a member, I think you are asking for the join button to be on the page? Is that what you mean? SusunW (talk) 16:42, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm talking about the link for the online session if there will be one. Thanks
 * @SusunW Bile rene (talk) 17:04, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I don't think we are having a live meetup. I am waving from my home in southern Mexico to you in Cameroon. Isn't technology amazing. Perhaps for our next birthday we can think about that. SusunW (talk) 17:11, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * I'm happy to be part of it, I've been in Women in Red for 5 years. I have already written more than 60 biographies of women, I intend to write more every day and make these women remembered in history. :) It is also important to contribute to articles that were already on wikipedia, there are many female biographies that are incomplete.User:TachibanaLouis (talk) 13:59, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * And don't forget to add women to the many men's biographies on WP that omit the women in their lives. SusunW (talk) 16:42, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Happy anniversary, WIR! I'm not nearly as productive and prolific as many here, but this project has helped me grow as an editor so much, and is such a great resource. EponineBunnyKickQueen (talk) 16:46, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Happy birthday! :) For anyone seeking some WIR bios in Sudan, where the boys-with-toys going bang-bang are getting most of the international media limelight with their atrocities, there are plenty of notable women still 'in mediawiki red', as well as those in older organisations such as Sudanese Women's Union, No to Oppression against Women Initiative and MANSAM. Sudanese women have been organising for at least 70 years - this won't suddenly disappear. Boud (talk) 17:17, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * @Boud I've started Zakia Abu Gassim Abu Bakr, listed in your linked list. She also fits in with WiR:275: A,B. I have two more sources, from a deleted draft, which I might try to read with Google translate - I'll add them to the talk page, for any Arabic-readers to have a go at! Pam  D  07:52, 19 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I joined Women in Red after reading about the project. In the process of writing my first Wikipedia article, I met amazing editors, , and who encouraged me to create articles because of the assistance they provided. I was always on their talk pages with one issue or the other. 🤗 Their assistance made contributing as an editor easier. Thank you all and I'll always remain grateful. Happy anniversary WiR and great job to everyone that's putting in effort to sustain this project (WiR)! I really like the 1day1woman project and hope to continue contributing.Olugold (talk) 18:55, 18 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Happy anniversary, WIR! For those who are struggling to find additional people to write about, I'd recommend taking a look at Guggeinheim Fellowship by year! I've stumbled across it recently and have realized that the majority of the people lacking articles are still women. The 2023 version can be found at List of Guggenheim Fellowships awarded in 2023. Wozal (talk) 23:45, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the link! I agree it looks like a great source for subjects! Also, the blue links can be updated with the Guggeinheim Fellowship info. There used to be a category for Guggeinheim winners, but that was deleted (by consensus) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion/Log/2020_April_13#Category:Guggenheim_Fellows WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 01:15, 19 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone on the project, and for directing me to it in 2016 when I was a new, struggling editor. I consider it vanishingly unlikely that I would still be involved with WP if I hadn’t encountered this strongly collaborative environment. Of the some 500 articles I’ve now created, about 200 are biographies of women and many others are about their works. I think I am especially pleased with bios that have come out of the Dictionary of Women Worldwide project. Three cheers to the many people who collaborated on that, and to all the collaboration in WiR! Innisfree987 (talk) 01:14, 19 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Happy anniversary, WiR! I would like to thank for introducing me to this WiR project, and extending immense help. I am also thankful to other editors for their valuable support and guidance. I really feel happy to be part of this wonderful project.--Thirukannan (talk) 08:57, 19 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I joined Wikipedia in 2015, and began by researching, writing and editing articles related to the history of the United States. In 2018, while actively editing as a member of the Milhist WikiProject, I learned about the Women in Red project. (There was a collaborative drive that was co-sponsored by both projects in April of that year that inspired me to research and write about World War II-era women.) My first article for that drive was the bio of Evelyn Tucker, one of the female "Monuments Men" who helped to rescue artwork that had been stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis. I was helped along in that process by, who was kind enough to search for a photo of Evelyn to accompany the data I had found for her. Thank you, Roger, for helping me "put a face to the name" for Evelyn (and for so many other women since that time). On literally the same day that I posted Evelyn's bio, I was warmly welcomed to the Women in Red editathon by and encouraged to become more involved. I will always be grateful to you, Ian, for that welcome, your suggestion to do more research and writing about women, and for the guidance you've provided to me over the years. You've been a true mentor and inspiration. I've since had the good fortune to write about multiple fascinating women, including: Rosalind P. Walter, who was one of the women who inspired the creation of the World War II icon, Rosie the Riveter, and who later became a legend in the education, nonprofit and philanthropic worlds for her financial support of PBS (public broadcasting in the U.S.); Marion Margery Scranton, "the only woman who (in Tom Dewey’s much-quoted phrase) could wear two orchids through a coal mine and get away with it"; Cornelia Bryce Pinchot, a conservationist and women's rights activist who became "one of the most politically active first ladies in the history of Pennsylvania"; Anna Bustill Smith, a suffragist, who was the first known African-American genealogist in the United States; and, more recently, Dr. Joyce Marie Jackson, the James J. Parsons Endowed Professor and chair of the department of geography and anthropology at Louisiana State University who has been recognized by the Louisiana Endowment for her "enhancement of the understanding of African American culture and music, sacred and secular rituals in Africa and the diaspora." With very few exceptions, each time I have researched and written one of the 50+ bios I've posted, I've found myself wishing that there was a working time machine that could enable me to travel back and meet these women at their most hopeful and productive times to say thank you for their courage and persistence in the face of adversity. In the meantime, I'll simply say thank you to , Roger, Ian, , , and the many other Women in Red members who were involved in founding and/or building this project during its early days for taking the initiative to ensure that women's stories are being told and amplified. Happy Anniversary! - 47thPennVols (talk) 22:06, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I began editing Wikipedia as a high school student, back in 2010. Once I discovered Women in Red, I believe it was 2017 for me, I became absolutely dedicated to writing and editing. Wikipedia and, in particular, WIR, has been such a huge part of my life for the past decade. It's an honour and priviledge to work alongside and collaborate with you all! I hope to attend a meet up in person one of these days. I wish for continued growth and lots more coverage about women!! As part of WIR, a few articles I created made it to some of the most-viewed on Wikipedia for a time (Ashley Biden and Carole Baskin), which was really cool to see! I've also been very fortunate to have some articles I created as part of WIR show up on the Wikipedia home page as DYKs, including Kesewa Aboah, Carole Baskin, Tessa Ganserer, Lucy de László, Mary Custis Lee, Victoria Loke, Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair, Alexandra Tegleva, Anna von Wattenwyl, and Queen Charlotte's Ball. None of that would have been possible without this wonderful team of editors, so thank you for making my inner-nerd so happy! I was recently named (by my username) in a news article regarding some articles I created, and while the news story is more about politics (and a little scary for me, personally), Women in Red was mentioned: "part of a Wikipedia initiative called Women in Red that aims to reduce gender bias on the platform"! I hope that some of the readers will check us out. We've got lots of important work to do. So happy to celebrate this anniversary with you all! -- Willthacheerleader18 (talk) 16:17, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I was so lucky to bump into this group/project, or I was about to surrender to hen-pecking at my home wiki: it was in a form of paternal kindness, but I was tired of being told "you did that" without practical tips how I can avoid that the next time. Happy 8th anniversary, which in the orient we sribble "eighth year anniversary (八周年)" (laid out as you put them vertically). The character for "#8" is a symbol expansion and good future as our old saying tells, which Chinese wisepersons handed down to us.
 * Well, my gdandma used to tell me number 8 is in the shape of BoddhiDarma, a symbol of endurance and clinging on your vision: you fall seventh, then at 8th try, you will walk and navigate how you have wished for. The water is wide, and I wish to keep wading with you all, as nothing compares to you and the gender equality we support <3
 * PS, Good news is that a silent but giant wikipedia/ja will soon have a user group, maybe before 2026. Not a strong body to pull people's nose around, no a direct seedling of WiR, but I will irrigate it some wisdom I will learn here. (: --Omotecho (talk) 01:40, 27 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I have loved every minute of editing knowing the WiR are out there supporting, helping, advising and just generally cheering me on. I hope I have been able to give back just a smidgen of the same to others.  &#9749;  Antiqueight  chatter 14:58, 28 July 2023 (UTC)


 * I started in Wikipedia at an event at the Dowse Art Museum in Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand to address gender gaps of Māori women artists. Soon after met further Women in Red editors in Aotearoa and everywhere and found the culture of the group very encouraging and welcoming. I have a lot of time to help others, to encourage people through events, and to create access to the stories of amazing women now and through history who have contributed immensely to our cultural landscapes and to society. It takes determination and good detective skills to write biographies of women in the arts from Aotearoa as I do. Thanks Women in Red for being there, for helping and for making a difference. Making space. Pakoire (talk) 11:45, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

Name your favorite meet-up...so far

 * Mine was the 2019 year long Focus on Suffrage. So many interesting women, and diverse ideas on what suffrage should be. WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 19:53, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
 * My favorite editathons are the annual initiatives on Indigenous women and gender studies. My great grandmother (my gg-father's 2nd wife, so not my blood relationship, but I soooo loved her) was indigenous and we lived every day with the experience that she and my aunts and uncles, were treated very differently than my grandmother and us. Intersectionality and diversity are the strongest motivators for me to write an article because people are not one-dimensional. Our shared history has obscured women in general, but it has obliterated the lives of indigenous people the world over. Since without the activists who created women's studies as an interdisciplinary field, none of our work would be possible, the annual event each April is something I always advocate for it and broad participation. I think it is crucial that their stories are told. SusunW (talk) 14:19, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I love the A-Z alpha run! With each letter, there are so many options. --Rosiestep (talk) 11:44, 27 June 2023 (UTC)|
 * For me, the World Contest in November 2016 was a memorable experience. Expertly organized by, it attracted 196 participants and led to 2,890 new biographies of women from virtually all the countries around the globe.--Ipigott (talk) 06:25, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for reminding me and providing the link to The World Contest! It was my first editathon and I got so much positive feedback. I have just spent/wasted an hour drilling down into the WikiProject Women in Red/The World Contest/Contents page and other pages. Some many editors were needed to make that happen. Each article needed to be checked by multiple editors. The talk page Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Women in Red/The World Contest contains all sorts of history. A real trip down memory lane. WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 20:10, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

A call-out to the University of Edinburgh for its outreach involving a wide range of ages and international editors (new and established) in their WiR monthly online all during the Covid lockdowns and also for the work done by staff and students on creating pages for the Scottish witches which has contributed hugely to a movement to seek a 'pardon' for the women and girls wrongly executed.Kaybeesquared (talk) 13:37, 30 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I began with Women in Red in 2018, for the century of women's right to vote. I was amazed to learn how to edit a new biography in a day Agnes Husband. Lots of help from and  to create more on the Scottish suffragettes. And then later with the help of  and and others I progressed to make 125 articles - not all women. Now the monthly WiR events at the University of Edinburgh are a part of my post-retirement activities, and one I always enjoy!
 * Hi ! I remember we worked on sorting out the number of the Kenney siblings (12, with one dying in infancy). Interesting group of sisters, including Annie Kenney. WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 20:13, 30 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Ah yes, that was hugely helpful ! and indeed a very interesting family if women who helped the led the suffragette cause, despite working class roots.
 * Thank you. Kaybeesquared (talk) 09:37, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

Photo gallery

 * Please add relevant images from the Commons:

relevant articles?
• #🇮🇳 Isha Basant Joshi upgrade of my first article about a woman from 2007 - now in 5 languages!
 * Most recent on top, please, specifying upgraded if not new

First WIR DYK
Did You Know... that Edinburgh's "forgotten heroines", Eliza Wigham, Jane Smeal, Priscilla Bright McLaren, and Elizabeth Pease, were associated with the Edinburgh Ladies' Emancipation Society (logo pictured)? (Appeared July 20 2017)

Participants
For those who participated up to 20 July 2023, see the talk page.

Statistics
This table shows the change in percentage of women's bios on or close to our July 19 anniversary day each year.

Event templates

 * Invitation: July 2023
 * Editathon banner for talk pages – 8th Anniversary Women in Red Template:WIR-274: