WASHINGTON, D.C., April 15, 2002 — UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., is hosting a national town hall meeting in Washington to answer one question: What specific actions, if any, should government and the private sector undertake to ensure that both young people and entrepreneurs of color can bridge the digital divide? Toward this end, an esteemed group of panelists and members of the audience will be asked to address concerns, provide potential solutions and raise additional questions.
Titled “Building a Bridge to the Information Superhighway: Solutions for Closing the Digital Divide,” Town Hall 2002 is being sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and presented with the National Press Club. “We are pleased to join UNITY: Journalists of Color in hosting this Town Hall on the digital divide,” said Bruce Brooks, director of community affairs at Microsoft. “Our participation in this event underscores the company’s commitment to finding solutions to bridge the divide. At Microsoft, we believe that technology is a tool that can help people realize their potential, so we strive to provide organizations and people with the resources they need to accomplish great things.”
The event is free and open to the general public, and will take place on Wednesday, May 22, 2002, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the National Press Club (located on the thirteenth floor of the National Press Building — 529 14th Street, NW at the corner of 14th and F Street, next to the J.W. Marriott Hotel).
Panelists will aim to provide a meaningful discussion to examine the many challenges that the digital divide creates in communities of color. Will the historic march toward equality in the United States be slowed by a failure to bring rapid closure to the digital divide? Will the dream of opportunity and upward advancement for young people and small-business owners — two of the critical engines that have historically driven much of the nation’s prosperity — eventually be stalled by the distance between the technology haves and the technology have-nots?
Join us on May 22 at the National Press Club, as we seek to provide solutions that address one of the most important issues of our time!
Members of the media who plan to cover the event are requested to register in advance (e-mail name, media affiliation, and contact information to [email protected]).
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
About UNITY
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., which represents 7,000 media professionals of color, is a strategic, national alliance comprised of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). UNITY’s goals are twofold: planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation (the UNITY 2004 Convention to be held August 4 – 8 in Washington, DC), and developing programs and institutional relationships that promote year-round journalism advocacy and education, with a focus on fairness and accuracy in news coverage as well as diversity in America’s newsrooms.
For additional information on UNITY Town Hall or to learn more about UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., please call (703) 469-2100, or visit www.unityjournalists.org.
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