Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Mary E. Baker

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. (non-admin closure) — Berrely • ^Talk∕_Contribs 12:51, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Mary E. Baker

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While this seems like a very nice and accomplished lady with some valuable contributions to the small city of Brockton, Massachusetts, the coverage is entirely local and does not rise to the level of significance to meet WP:SIGCOV per WP:NOTNEWS. Further, it doesn't appear she achieved anything that would meet WP:ANYBIO either. Merely being the first African-American to work at a city hall in a small city of less than 100,000 people (and in the minor job of a legal secretary) doesn't seem very notable to me. 4meter4 (talk) 21:48, 23 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Women-related deletion discussions. Spiderone^{(Talk to Spider)} 06:39, 24 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Massachusetts-related deletion discussions. Spiderone^{(Talk to Spider)} 06:40, 24 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Keep per WP:BASIC and WP:SIGCOV - my search for sources is complicated by hits for the school named after her, e.g. "Denise Baker-Bradley can’t wait for the day when naming a building after an African-American woman is not a news event," (The Enterprise, 2008) but there is also biographical information available from the same news outlet with the lede: "Your professors probably didn't teach you how influential these African Americans with ties to Brockton were. Here is a list of five people that contributed to historical change," (Enterprise, 2021) and more biographical information in "Six notable African-Americans with ties to the Brockton area," (Enterprise, 2010). Due to the sustained reporting and encyclopedic context available, this article does not seem excludable per WP:NOTNEWS. Beccaynr (talk) 14:37, 25 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Africa-related deletion discussions. Beccaynr (talk) 14:50, 25 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Beccaynr, this is all local coverage, even if it is sustained, which is exactly what WP:NOTNEWS policy addresses as not supporting notability. The subject needs to be a topic in a state wide or national news source, or even better an academic source which places her significance beyond a specifically local context. You haven’t demonstrated that with these sources to demonstrate coverage beyond what is dismissed routinely as non-notable per WP:NOTNEWS and WP:LOCAL. The issue here is one of independent coverage, generally subjects only covered by a local paper are not considered to be independent enough on their own to establish notability. 4meter4 (talk) 15:00, 25 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I think WP:SIGCOV footnote 2 helps support notability, because it includes, In the absence of multiple sources, it must be possible to verify that the source reflects a neutral point of view, is credible and provides sufficient detail for a comprehensive article, and the news sources provide WP:SECONDARY commentary on Baker as "notable" and "influential," offer biographical detail, and report on the honor of the school naming. The WP:LOCAL essay states Evidence of attention by international or national, or at least regional, media is a strong indication of notability but does not seem to suggest this is required (it appears WP:ORG/WP:AUD is stricter) - from my view, it is the nature of what is being reported that tips my !vote towards keep - this is more than someone having jobs and WP:OR attempting to extrapolate the significance, because in addition to the school named after her, there is WP:SECONDARY sourcing of her significance with sufficient biographical information to support an article. Beccaynr (talk) 15:50, 25 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Keep. She checks off all the boxes, including a school named after her. Bearian (talk) 15:40, 29 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Keep, as per the comments made by Beccaynr. Suonii180 (talk) 10:07, 30 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.