Our guest on today’s episode of “B The Way Forward” is dreaming of a black tech future that makes digital infrastructure more inclusive for everybody. Host Brenda Darden Wilkerson talks with Vice President of Policy at the Multicultural Media and Telecommunication Internet Council (MMTC) and creator of #BlackTechFutures Research Institute, Dr. Fallon Wilson, about ways to close the digital divide. Together, they address the disparities in Internet access across black communities and why Fallon is fighting for actionable change like getting computers in the hands of all school children and creating better access for people to do remote work at home. You’ll hear some really shocking facts around who has Internet access – and who doesn’t– while Brenda and Fallon talk through some major misconceptions around technology gaps. Plus, we learn why Fallon is sick and tired of the conversation around Artificial Intelligence and why she’s working to humanize an index that measures disparities in cities.
“When we think about data science or data scientists, I always think about Ida B. Wells and her ability to develop a type of data set to talk about lynching and lynching of Black bodies, and what does that look like, and what are the policy implications for it? I think Black people have always, I think with every new type of tool to tell story, or a new type of technology to tell narrative, we have always been at the forefront of crafting our story and trying to show this is injustice.”
For more of Dr. Fallon Wilson and her work check out…
X – @SistahWilson | @mmtconline | @BlackChurchesDE
Instagram – @mmtconline | @blackchurches4digitalequity
Facebook – /mmtconline | /blackchurches4digitalequity
Linkedin – /fallonwilson | /mmtconline
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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.
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B The Way Forward Is…
Produced by Dominique Ferrari and Paige Hymson
Sound design and editing by Neil Innes and Ryan Hammond
Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski
Associate Producer is Faith Krogulecki
Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Riveter Studios and Frequency Machine
Executive Produced by Arlan Hamilton for Arlan Was Here
Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson for AnitaB.org
Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt with Riveter Studios and Tink Media in partnership with Carolyn Schneller and Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org
Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions
For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org