An invitation from Benton Institute for Broadband & Society...

From Fear to Confidence: Women’s Journeys Toward Digital Equity

Join us on April 9th at 1 PM ET for an online discussion about the digital adoption journeys of low-income Black/African American and Latina women. By centering the voices and experiences of these often overlooked groups, we will provide actionable insights for states, local agencies, and digital equity practitioners to improve digital inclusion efforts for women.

Norma E. Fernandez—CEO of EveryoneOn and Marjorie and Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellow—will present her research based on in-depth interviews and surveys with Latina and Black/African American women in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee. Norma set out to understand what drives underserved women to adopt broadband and develop their digital skills, and the barriers and support they encounter on their way. She found not just the practical benefits of digital skills training, but also profound personal transformation and self-empowerment.

In a panel moderated by Dr. Revati Prasad, Vice-President of Programs at the Benton Institute of Broadband & Society, speakers will include:

• EveryoneOn CEO Norma E. Fernandez has spent the past 12 years fostering digital equity. EveryoneOn is a national digital inclusion organization that since 2012 has connected over 1 million people to affordable high-speed internet, distributed over 6,000 devices, and trained over 4,500 people in digital skills in the last three years.
• Aneta Thomas Lee—Visiting Assistant Director for Digital Equity, Inclusion, and Navigation at the Illinois Broadband Lab—has spent the last decade working on bridging the digital divide from Alabama to Georgia. She has worked in a wide range of organizations including EveryoneOn, Inspiredu of Atlanta, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and the Microsoft Airband Initiative.
• Mamacitas Ciberneticas Founder Maria Chapparo, works with community partners to improve access to affordable, efficient broadband in underserved communities in Dona Ana, New Mexico.

Together, panelists will reflect on the needs, perspectives and possibilities for low-income women embarking on a journey of digital transformation.

Be sure to RSVP.