We Will Remember Adrianne Wadewitz

We at GenderAvenger are sad to share the following news:

Adrianne Wadewitz, 37, Wikipedia Editor, Dies in Rock Climbing Fall

Adrianne Wadewitz, a scholar of 18th-century British literature who became one of the most prolific and influential editors of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, died on April 8 in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 37.

Adrianne Wadewitz' life reminds us that there are so many among us who express their values in unique and important ways. We didn't know about Adrianne Wadewitz until her unfortunate death was reported, but we are nonetheless proud of the work she did to place so many women in the public discourse with her work on Wikipedia, where she created a library of biographies about women and committed over 49,000 edits. As she wrote in her blog at HASTAC last year: 

Wikipedia needs to recruit women, yes, but, more importantly, it needs to recruit feminists. It is feminists — those who have thought about the problems of sexism, have strategies to deal with them, and are willing to engage in such battles, that are willing to challenge the patriarchal structures of knowledge on Wikipedia. And feminists can be of any gender.

Hers is a legacy that deserves to be remembered and honored by us all. We are so sorry to lose you Adrianne. May your work live on through the lives of all those your activism touched.

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