Upper Hand

9Narrowing the Digital Divide

A few months into the pandemic, my cousin Nicole sent me a text message at 2 a.m. I was fast asleep in my Miami apartment, but instantly opened my eyes when I heard my phone buzz. Nicole lived in Seattle and I knew that she wouldn't have reached out so late if it weren't an emergency.

I peered over at my phone to make sure that everything was okay. Nicole was in the middle of a crisis that required immediate attention. She was messaging me in a panic because her home laptop had essentially stopped working. Her daughter, who was participating in her elementary school classroom virtually due to the closure of schools during the pandemic, wouldn't have access to a device to join her morning class. And if Nicole couldn't get her hands on a laptop, it might spell the end of her daughter's school access for the remainder of the semester.

Nicole was in a bind. With no resources to immediately purchase a new computer, she'd reached out to me for help. Thankfully, I had just engaged with someone from a tech company who was looking to give away their laptop to a family or student and had quietly been working with community partners to distribute laptops to those in need. I quickly connected Nicole with the opportunity.

WORD BANK: Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to those who have the access to leverage digital tools and technology to reap the most benefits and those who do not. This can include those who aren't able to afford things like internet ...