Digital Inclusion NOW Schedule of Events
9:30AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Evette Banfield, VP, Economic Development Policy, CNHED
- Elizabeth Lindsey, CEO, Byte Back
9:45 AM
Internet for All
Mayor Muriel Bowser recently launched Internet for All, a $3.3 million initiative, to provide free internet access for up to 25,000 disconnected low-income students and families from DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. The funding, allocated from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), will cover SNAP and TANF eligible families for the 2020-2021 School Year.
Presenter
- Lindsey Parker, Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Technology Officer
10:00 – 11:00AM
Closing the Gap: Digital Access & Skills for Work in DC
The digital skills gap in Washington, DC is impacting how we work and who gets to work. The region is facing a tech talent shortage. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of residents still don’t have a home computer, internet access, or the skills to use a computer for key work tasks. Only 5% of white households in DC do not have access to high speed internet, while 27% of Black, Latinx, and Asian households don’t have access. With the largest gap in digital access by income in the country, it’s essential that Washington, DC works toward closing its digital divide.
Understand DC’s digital divide with these experts and walk away with solutions to increase access to tech skills and work while addressing systemic racism.
Moderator
- Michelai Graham, Market Editor of Technical.ly DC
Panelists:
- Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank, The Brookings Institution
- Melissa Stallings, Chief Program Officer, Byte Back
- Anne Marie Bairstow, Director of Skyland Workforce Center/Building Bridges Across the River
11:00AM – 12:00PM
Investing in Digital Inclusion for DC’s Future: How Black & Brown DC Residents, Businesses & the Economy Will Benefit
As the pandemic has eroded employment gains and the economy grows more dependent on a digitally trained workforce, who is being left behind? Half of Black workers and more than half of Latinx workers in the US need digital skills. The consequences of this digital divide in DC are huge, amplifying racist inequities while also further damaging the economy. Investing in digital inclusion – access to devices, internet, and tech training – will help DC’s economic viability post COVID and help Black and Brown residents build the wealth they deserve.
Moderator
Panelists:
- Raymond Bell, CEO, H.O.P.E. Project
- Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Senior Fellow, National Skills Coalition
- Stephen Harrington, Director, Engagement and External Affairs, Greater Washington Partnership
- Alena Stern, Senior Data Scientist, Urban Institute