New Digital Media Center in Bronzeville will Help Bridge "Digital Divide"

Chicago, IL — February 7, 2005 —

The Illinois Institute of Technology and the Harold Washington Cultural Center are celebrating the opening of a Digital Media Center, which will promote digital inclusion and provide technology-driven education in the Bronzeville community. The center will open Thursday, January 20, at 5:30 p.m. at 4701 S. King Drive.

“The center will provide many in Bronzeville with high-quality access to technical resources and training that promote digital inclusion,” said David Baker, Vice President of External Communications at IIT. It is another example of how IIT is committed to not just being a good neighbor but taking an active role in the community.”

The center will also provide Internet and multimedia technology to create and maintain a database that can be utilized to study African-American culture and music. Additionally, the center will be linked to universities in the area, making the location a hub for multimedia research.

SBC is partnering with IIT in opening and supporting the center. SBC Illinois President Carrie J. Hightman will present a $17,000 grant check from the SBC Excelerator program as part of the opening.

The event will demonstrate how the center’s technology will connect the Bronzeville community to the larger community of the Internet.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a  Ph.D.-granting technological university that awards 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.