The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Survey Finds United States' Civil Rights Organizations Face Their Own Digital Divide, Struggle with Transition to Internet Age

Feature Story by Brian Komar - 7/26/2001

SURVEY FINDS UNITED STATES' CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS FACE THEIR OWN DIGITAL DIVIDE, STRUGGLE WITH TRANSITION TO INTERNET AGE

Leading Civil Rights Organizations Recognize the Importance of Engaging in Crucial Communications and Information Technology Policy Debates but Most Lack Resources to Do So

Civilrights.org Puts the Power of the Internet Behind the Civil Rights Community

Washington, D.C., July 26, 2001 - A new report released today by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and the Leadership Conference Education Fund (LCEF) concludes that while the national civil rights community recognizes the importance of transitioning to the Internet Age, many organizations lack the financial, technical and knowledge-based resources to fully engage in crucial communications and information technology policy debates. The report, From Digital Disconnect to Digital Empowerment," finds that although several groups have made substantial progress in this area, many national civil rights organizations are at the very beginning stages of integrating Internet-based resources into their work. The report was funded by the Ford Foundation, the Markle Foundation, and the AOL Time Warner Foundation.

In a related announcement today, the LCCR and the LCEF, in partnership with the AOL Time Warner Foundation, launched a new Web site, www.civilrights.org, to put the power of the Internet behind the nation's civil rights agenda. The redesigned and expanded civil rights portal vastly increases the civil rights community's access to information technology and features the nation's most extensive online collection of civil rights policy resources and interactive tools, including a content clearinghouse, interactive calendar and a national directory of civil rights organizations.

The report and Web site are part of the Leadership Conference's Digital Opportunity Partnership, a capacity, policy, and knowledge-building initiative, and represent important steps toward creating digital opportunity for the civil rights community. The Digital Opportunity Partnership is funded with support from the AOL Time Warner Foundation.

Wade Henderson, Executive Director of LCCR, said: "The findings of the report released today are of great concern. The report makes clear that while it is critical for all segments of society to participate fully in the information technology revolution and related policy debates, many of our leading civil rights organizations are being left behind."

Karen McGill Lawson, Executive Director of LCEF said: "The new civilrights.org helps to bridge the divide identified in the report, and is a powerful tool for educating the public about civil rights, promoting our nation's diversity, and helping organizations to overcome traditional barriers that limit their use of the latest technologies."

Kathy Bushkin, President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation and Senior Vice President of AOL Time Warner, said: "We are proud to be a part of this effort to bring the many diverse voices of the civil rights community together through the power of the online medium. By creating the nation's first one-stop resource for civil rights and equal opportunity, Civilrights.org brings the struggle for civil rights into the Internet Age."

"From Digital Disconnect to Digital Empowerment," which is based on surveys of national civil rights organizations, concludes with
recommendations directed at the civil rights, business and foundation communities. Among the recommendations are:

To develop a nationwide information technology capacity building initiative for organizations representing under-served communities, that would provide a wide-range of technical assistance (including hardware and software development, network installation, database development, web site design, training, and broader technology consultation);

To import technology knowledge into the civil rights community with strategic technology consulting;

To convene technology leadership forums for civil rights, industry, and foundation leaders;

To collaborate with existing media policy organizations; and

To establish a Resident Scholar Program for communications and Internet policy, producing substantive research on the nexus between civil rights and information technology policy.

The report stresses the need for collaboration among civil rights organizations, the business community, and the foundation community. Civilrights.org addresses this issue by connecting organizations in an empowering way that better serves the civil rights community. Among civilrights.org's new features are:

Civilrights.org Library -- a central content clearinghouse that
allows civil rights activists to contribute and publish their press
releases, alerts, reports, position papers, speeches, etc.;

Civilrights.org Content Streaming System -- a content syndication system that allows civil rights organizations to stream civilrights.org content to their web sites;

Civil Rights Press Room -- a directory dedicated to providing
reporters with the latest civil rights policy information and expert
opinion;

Civilrights.org Interactive Calendar -- a nationwide calendar that allows individuals to post social justice-related events taking place around the nation and send email notices notifying others of such events; and

Civil Rights Organization Directory -- a national directory of
organizations working to advance social justice.

Read the full report.