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Wikimedians of Chicago User Group


The Wikimedians of Chicago User Group is a Wikimedia user group in the United States city of Chicago. This user group aims to bring together the Wikimedia community in Chicago and its surrounding areas.

Wikimedians of Chicago
User Group


Currently, the group is in the process of applying for reinstatement. While our application is reviewed, we will continue to hold meetups and post updates on this page.

Objectives

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  • Promote the use of Wikimedia projects by people in and around Chicago
  • Organize in-person gatherings of Wikimedians in and around Chicago
  • Help people in and around Chicago learn how to edit Wikimedia projects
  • Combat systemic bias on Wikipedia and support the existing work of groups such as the Art + Feminism user group in Chicago
  • Improve coverage of Chicago-related topics

Activities

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Attendees at the Wikipedia Day 2025 meetup

Planned activities include bimonthly (every two months) editing meetups as well as celebrations of Wikipedia events such as Wikipedia Day. Details about upcoming meetups are on the meetup page.

We also plan to cooperate with local Universities and libraries to host community-based events. In the past, we have collaborated with user groups like Art + Feminism and Black Lunch Table to host events and edit-a-thons.

To be notified of local events, add yourself to the meetup invite list! Information about meetups will be sent out via mass message sender, so keep an eye on your watchlist.

Host a meetup

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Interested in hosting a meetup with Wikimedians of Chicago? If you have an idea for an event and need support, advice, or anything else, please make a request on our talk page or contact our leadership via talk page, email, or Discord. Experienced Chicago Wikimedians will be happy to get back to you online or in-person.

History

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Prior to the formation of this user group, there had been intermittent Wikimedia events in Chicago between 2004–2017 through WikiProject Chicago by TonyTheTiger, events hosted through Loyola University by Keilana, and other events led by I JethroBT, and Airplaneman. These included regular edit-a-thons, meetups, and collaborations with institutions. One major partnership included training of interns and events with the Pritzker Military & Museum Library, which continues to function as a GLAM program focused on article creation and improvement.

Key leadership members moved away from the area in 2020, causing activity in the user group to stop. However, activity was revived in late 2024 and we hope to return better than ever. Meetups are currently bimonthly with additional events for occasions such as Wikipedia Day, hosted by Luiysia - feel free to reach out with questions or suggestions.

We aim to host regular meetups to forge regular working and social connections amongst editors in and around Chicago. Currently, we are not convinced that many editors in the region know each other well, and our work is quite isolated. The more we get to know each other, our work, and our skills, the more we are able to create a unified community of editors who can work together to develop successful events and projects.

Affiliations Committee resolutions

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Annual reports

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Contact information

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We recommend joining the Discord group for discussions or questions. You can also contact us on our talk page or get in touch with our leadership individually via email or talk page (see below).

Members

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Leadership

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Kelly (Luiysia)   
  West Side

Event Organizer
 

Scott (VestigialPail)
  North


 

Abe (Myoglobin)


 

Dan Leonard (Dan Leonard)
  Lakeview


 

Airplaneman

Former

Interested in participating

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Users may add themselves to this list to indicate interest in participating. In addition, feel free to add yourself to the meetup invite list, and add this groovy userbox to your page.

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