IIT assesses Internet access in Chicago’s African- American communities during Black Family Technology Awareness Week, February 10 – 16
Illinois Institute of Technology is leading efforts to gather information about how African Americans in Bronzeville and other South Side communities use and think about technology during Black Family Technology Awareness Week (Feb. 10 – 16).
Black Family Technology Awareness Week was founded four years ago by Career Communications Group, Inc., to focus attention on the importance of technology and the opportunities it presents for the future. During this special week, African-American leaders in the technology and education sectors will outline the technological needs in local communities. Workshops, classes, lectures and other events will be held throughout the week highlighting different aspects of technology.
Kevin Smith, associate director of IIT’s Digital Media Center, is spearheading a drive to discover exactly what the needs of the Bronzeville community are regarding access to technology.
“African-Americans need technology in order to survive in a technology-driven world, and access to technology in these communities is often extremely poor,” says Smith. Studies report that only 23.5 percent of all African-American households in the United States have Internet access, compared with 41.5 percent of all U. S. households, while government statistics show that the fastest-growing occupations are in technology. But in order to increase access to technology in the Bronzeville community, a “snapshot” of the community must be taken to assess the current situation.
Smith and colleagues at IIT and from the community plan to distribute surveys during Black Family Technology Awareness Week to Bronzeville churches, schools and other community organizations to determine how technology affects (or doesn’t affect) its citizens’ lives.
The survey focuses on Internet access and use. “We want to know how Bronzeville compares to other communities in terms of computer use, Internet access and use, and overall knowledge about technology,” Smith says.
The results of the survey will be shared with community leaders and compiled into a “snapshot” of the Bronzeville community. The data from the survey will also be used to urge city leaders to work on bringing high-speed Internet capability to Bronzeville, whose schools and homes are almost devoid of the infrastructure needed for this access. “We will compare the snapshot to data collected several years ago as a baseline to help us define the need for more high speed access in Bronzeville schools, as well as churches and senior citizen centers,” Smith explains.
Technology is becoming more and more central to our everyday lives, Smith says. The Internet is crucial to a successful job hunt, and with many companies moving their recruiting online, knowledge of how to use the Net is essential. Finding health care providers, shopping and communicating are all done on the Internet today. Even education is moving online with formation of hundreds of Internet colleges and online courses. Without access to the Internet, many African Americans are going to get left behind in the wake of the technology wave that has been sweeping our nation, says Smith.
Activities during Black Family Technology Awareness Week include:
Family Nite, Tuesday, Feb. 12, at local community centers including Wabash YMCA, Elliot Donnelley Chicago Youth Center and the Abraham Lincoln Center.
Youth Day, Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Charles A. Hayes Family Investment Center
Workshop on electronic-Voting, Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the DuSable Museum
Intergenerational Thursday, Feb. 14 at Lincoln Perry Senior Home, an I.T. Professional Reception on Feb. 15 downtown hosted by the Chicago chapter of the Black Data Processors Association
“Inside Stuff” program, Saturday, Feb.16, on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology.
For more information and details, consult the website at http://dmc.iit.edu/techweek or call 312.567.8858.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.
