United States/Social Equity/Representation

Representation of Minority Groups

OSM does not explicitly prioritize representation of one demographic group over another. However, minority groups are significantly underrepresented among OSM contributors. Since many mappers naturally begin by mapping what they are familiar with, there is a potential for OSM to underrepresent minority groups even more than a systematic, non-crowdsourced project might. On the other hand, OSM has the potential to represent minority groups even better than proprietary alternatives by bringing in a more diverse contributor base. A common technique for growing the community is to seed the map with at least minimal coverage; this same technique can be applied to representation of minority communities.

Minority-owned enterprises

1. Use this Small Business Administration database to find minority-owned small businesses. Filter down to HUBZones to focus on businesses located in economically disadvantaged areas. Alternatively, focus on areas facing gentrification: search for a map of "displacement pressure" published by researchers for the surrounding metropolitan area to guide your mapping. There may also be local resources, such as this directory of Black-owned businesses in San Francisco.
2. Map the business as you normally would a business of its kind. Do not tag the business as being minority-owned. The goal is not to single out business owners by their race, but rather to ensure representation. Consider mapping all the businesses on the block or in the surrounding neighborhood.

TODO: Compile completeness statistics based on the Economic Census, but break down the statistics by ZIP code (the most granular type of area available), then compare to demographic data from the decennial census to determine whether minority communities are underrepresented in OSM.

Minority depository institutions

The FDIC's Minority Depository Institutions (MDI) program includes minority-owned banks and banks that primarily serve minority communities, including state-chartered community banks.

1. Pick an MDI from this FDIC spreadsheet.
2. Find the bank's branches (with addresses) and map them based on existing address POIs or street-level imagery.
3. If the bank has dozens of branches, add the bank to the Name Suggestion Index.

Black churches

The GNIS import brought in many churches, but Black churches in particular need cleanup:

• Many churches in urban areas are outdated, having closed or been renamed in the decades since they were entered into GNIS.
• Churches were systematically tagged with denomination=* based on their names, but major Black denominations such as the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) were left untagged. This Overpass API query finds churches with "Church of God in Christ" in their names but without a denomination=* tag. Note that not every "Church of God in Christ" is necessarily a COGIC church.
• Mappers unfamiliar with American Christian denominations systematically tagged churches belonging to the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) with denomination=episcopal by mistake. For example, this Overpass API query finds churches with "Methodist Episcopal" in the name but that are tagged as Episcopal churches. They should ideally be tagged denomination=african_methodist_episcopal denomination:wikidata=Q384121 or at least denomination=methodist. AME churches can often be identified by the shield logo on signs in street-level imagery.

Historically black colleges and universities

Many historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are poorly mapped in OSM compared to other schools, but they don't have to be!

1. Find an undermapped HBCU on this spreadsheet.
2. Add the campus grounds, buildings, footpaths, athletic fields, and parking lots using aerial imagery for basic coverage.
3. If street-level imagery or other reference materials are available, add building names and addresses, eateries, etc. For more ideas of things to micromap, check out the Penn State University, Bowling Green State, or Rose-Hulman campuses.
4. Reach out to geography-related clubs and faculty at these schools and invite them to collaborate on improving OSM's coverage of their communities.

Memorials to racial minorities

1. Tag streets and buildings with name:etymology=* and name:etymology:wikidata=* if they are named after the person or with subject=* and subject:wikidata=* if they commemorate the person.
2. Make sure the Wikidata item has a statement that the ethnic group (P172) is African Americans (Q49085) (or a part of the African American diaspora (Q28792792)) etc. Avoid making assumptions: Wikidata expects you to cite a published source stating that the person belongs to the ethnic group or identifies as a member of the ethnic group.

Memorials to civil rights advocates

1. Get started with this MapRoulette challenge.
2. Tag streets and buildings with name:etymology=* and name:etymology:wikidata=* if they are named after the person or with subject=* and subject:wikidata=* if they commemorate the person.
3. Make sure the Wikidata item has a statement that the occupation (P106) is civil rights advocate (Q1021386) or abolitionist (Q18510179), or that the field of work (P101) is abolitionism (Q169390).

This Sophox query displays an interactive map of African-American human rights activists and abolitionists.

Murals supporting the Black Lives Matter movement can be tagged as artwork. For example, tag Black Lives Matter street murals as tourism=artwork artwork_type=street_art inscription=Black Lives Matter subject=Black Lives Matter subject:wikidata=Q19600530.

Artwork by racial minorities

1. Tag artwork with artist:wikidata=* and architecture with architect:wikidata=*.
2. Make sure the artist or architect's Wikidata item has a statement that the ethnic group (P172) is African Americans (Q49085) (or a part of the African American diaspora (Q28792792)) etc. Avoid making assumptions: Wikidata expects you to cite a published source stating that the person belongs to the ethnic group or identifies as a member of the ethnic group.

This Sophox query displays an interactive map of works of art and architecture by African-American artists and architects.

American Indian reservations

As of 2020, few of the 326 Indian reservations' boundaries have been mapped. Aside from boundaries, many cultural and health facilities need to be mapped. Names in native languages should be tagged on features both on and off reservations.