Pursuing Equity in the Digital Divide for Black University Students

“Equinix和Equinix基金会如何帮助纳什维尔澳门皇冠赌场平台的学生推进数字包容”

随着疫情使互联网接入方面的差距更加明显，数字包容已成为一个日益重要的问题. 随着生活中越来越多的方面需要接入互联网——从医疗保健、教育到商业和政府服务——数字鸿沟和接入不公平造成的弊端只会加深. Moreover, 互联网连接和数字技能已经成为获得优质教育和获得当今许多工作机会的基础. And yet, one-third of the world’s population—2.7 billion people—remains offline.   

In the United States, historically marginalized communities are further disadvantaged by lack of high-speed internet access. 数字鸿沟对美国黑人的影响尤为严重:38%的黑人家庭没有高速固定宽带(相比之下，白人家庭只有23%), 31% don’t own a computer and 50% lack the necessary digital skills to thrive in society. Public infrastructure today doesn’t adequately serve Black communities. 

获得技术和网络连接的不平等也影响了传统上的黑人学院和大学(HBCUs)in the U.S. hbcu的数字和IT基础设施通常不达标，这阻碍了最好的学习环境. To address this, organizations like Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and #BlackTechFutures Research Institute 正在与Equinix和Equinix基金会合作，解决IT基础设施和研究的资金问题, tech education and bridging the gap in racial tech disparity. 我们正在邀请其他公司和企业慈善机构加入我们，以解决这一关键且资金相对不足的需求领域. 

 

How the digital divide perpetuates inequities 

The link between digital inequity and social and economic inequalities is pronounced, and yet there’s still much work to do—globally and locally—to address the digital divide.  

“数字红线”的概念清楚地说明了低收入社区在数字基础设施方面的实际投资不足, particularly communities of color. According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), digital redlining “has disparate impacts on people in certain areas of cities or regions, most frequently on the basis of income, race, and ethnicity.”v 这个想法解释了为什么历史上被边缘化的社区更有可能以更高的成本体验更低的网速. And these disparities extend even to institutions of higher learning in historically marginalized communities, such as Fisk University, where digital access is essential.  

Expanding reliable, affordable, 高速宽带接入对于确保服务不足的社区和教育机构有平等的接入机会至关重要. Governments, 私营公司和社区组织发起了许多举措，以解决美国的数字鸿沟和种族技术差距, but as the numbers show, there’s still a long way to go. Not enough of the existing initiatives put the needs of the entire Black community at the core. To move forward, business, educational institutions, 政府和私人慈善机构必须与技术专家和下一代领导人共同努力. We all have an important role to play. 

Connectivity challenges at Nashville’s Fisk University 

Fisk University—one of the nation’s elite HBCUs, and the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville—has been a victim of the digital divide, like many minority-serving institutions across the U.S. In addition to receiving Forbes’ #1 ranking among all U.S. universities for academic effectiveness, Fisk University has yielded distinguished alumni, Rhodes scholar finalists, record starting salaries and student outcomes rivalling the top institutions in the country. And yet, 大学和周边社区缺乏提供最佳学习和就业机会所需的带宽. 低带宽和无线基础设施故障经常扰乱学生的教育，并禁止一个有效的学习环境. 

Students and faculty describe a range of interruptions in their learning: 

  • Slow, unstable internet connection in dorm rooms  
  • Being limited to working in the library and one lecture hall, where Wi-Fi connection is strongest 
  • Internet service disruptions during critical events like online exams and internship or job interviews  
  • Instructor frustrations and class cancellations due to connectivity problems  
  • Having to pay out of pocket for personal hotspots for reliable connectivity for online learning 

在数字访问对学术和职业成功如此重要的时候，这些问题是不合情理的. 澳门皇冠赌场平台和其他hbcu在培养未来的数字领导者和解决科技行业的种族差异方面发挥着重要作用. In fact, 澳门皇冠赌场平台数据科学项目是HBCU和田纳西州第一个专门的本科数据科学项目.vi 解决数字划线问题和创建强大的数字基础设施以支持菲斯克和其他hbcu的有效学习是必要的.  

How Equinix and Fisk University are working together 

To maximize the potential of the digital economy, 很明显，所有的人群都不能掉队——包括那些已经被证明准备好领导我们这个集体数字优先经济的学生. 在支持为少数族裔服务机构更好地投资互联网连接方面，科技行业可以发挥重要作用.  

Equinix began our relationship with Fisk University in 2020 with an internship program. We were blown away by the caliber of talent joining us as interns, and we decided to further the relationship by teaching courses on development for Fisk students. When we got to campus, we met some of the best students this nation has to offer. But we were shocked to find that just two miles from the famous Broadway Street and downtown Nashville, at an institution of higher learning where future leaders’ minds are being shaped, there wasn’t enough bandwidth to complete a video call.  

Equinix and the Equinix Foundation 通过与澳门皇冠赌场平台合作，努力创造一个更具数字包容性的未来，帮助弥合数字鸿沟，为学生提供在高科技世界中脱颖而出的最佳机会. With this partnership, we’ve taken a holistic approach to meeting multiple areas of need, including the following initiatives: 

  • Equinix-sponsored classes on front-end development and full-stack development for students at Fisk University, along with volunteer support from Equinix employees for peer mentoring and tutoring for students  
  • An internship program for Fisk students at Equinix, as well as a hiring path to Equinix for students and interns 
  • Equinix基金会承诺为澳门皇冠赌场平台的技术基础设施现代化计划提供为期四年总计100万美元的资金 

Fisk students and interns at Equinix have consistently demonstrated an enthusiasm for learning, collaborating and having fun while they acquire technical expertise. And they’re contributing back to Equinix as interns and employees, as well as to the future of the tech industry. 我们很兴奋也很自豪地投资于大学的技术基础，这将使所有学生受益，并创造一个更有效的学习环境. 

Our commitment to advancing digital inclusion 

Equinix基金会还向#BlackTechFutures研究所提供了一项为期两年的资助，以继续其使用数据的工作, policy and programming to create and strengthen the collective Black tech future. #BlackTechFutures研究所正在建立一个由城市研究人员和实践者组成的全国性网络，开展可持续的地方黑科技生态系统研究. The outcomes of this work are actionable policy recommendations and a national public data archive. 

与澳门皇冠赌场平台和#BlackTechFutures研究所合作的这些举措是Equinix和Equinix基金会帮助弥合数字鸿沟的工作的延续. For example, earlier this year, 我们分享了Equinix正在为三个州的互联网服务提供商提供免费互联网接入服务，以服务于弱势社区，这是我们与美国互联网协会签署合作伙伴关系的一部分 CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellowship. And the Equinix Foundation recently announced a three-year grant to World Pulse to support their work accelerating digital inclusion for women and girls globally.  

How tech industry leaders can join in solving this challenge 

Our commitment to Fisk University, #BlackTechFutures和其他组织植根于一种基于信任的整体慈善方法，涉及与组织合作和伙伴关系，以解决多个领域的需求. 

But more resources are needed to address the digital divide for Black communities and students in the U.S. We invite other tech companies, partners, nonprofits and employees to join Equinix and the Equinix Foundation in solving this problem together. If you’re looking for ways to get more involved in creating a more digitally inclusive future, contact Equinix Foundation. 

And to learn more about Equinix Foundation, visit our website.