President Joe Biden has repeatedly said that the United States would close the digital divide under his leadership. However, the divide still affects people and communities across the country. The complex and persistent reality is that millions of residents live in digital deserts, and many more face disproportionate difficulties when it comes to getting and staying online, especially people of color, seniors, rural residents, and farmers in remote areas.

Economic and health disparities are worsening in rural communities without available internet access. Students living in urban digital deserts with little technology exposure are ill prepared to compete for emerging occupations. Even seniors struggle to navigate the aging process without access to online information and remote care.

In this book, Nicol Turner Lee, a leading expert on the American digital divide, uses personal stories from individuals around the country to show how the emerging digital underclass is navigating the spiraling online economy, while sharing their joys and hopes for an equitable and just future.

Turner Lee argues that achieving digital equity is crucial for the future of America’s global competitiveness and requires radical responses to offset the unintended consequences of increasing digitization. In the end, “Digitally Invisible” proposes a pathway to more equitable access to existing and emerging technologies, while encouraging readers to weigh in on this shared goal.

Nicol Turner Lee will be joined in conversation by Cody Dorsey, the former executive director of the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition.

About the Author: 

Nicol Turner Lee writes at the intersection of technology, race, and social justice. She is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, and the founder of the AI Equity Lab. A tech policy expert and storyteller, her work has appeared in the Washington Post and New York Times, and on NBC, CNBC, NPR, and the PBS NewsHour. She has served as an adviser on technology policy issues for government agencies, including the National Academies of Sciences and the Federal Communications Commission. She received a PhD from Northwestern University.

About the Moderator: 

Cody Dorsey is the former Executive Director of the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition (BDEC), where he worked to close the digital divide in his hometown. Mr. Dorsey was selected for this role during a pivotal moment for the Coalition, as he successfully worked to reimagine the Coalition’s role in the community post-pandemic. As Executive Director, Mr. Dorsey convened stakeholders to shape the future of Baltimore’s commitment to permanently closing the digital divide, as well as across the State of Maryland, including establishing the Annual Maryland Digital Equity Day – the first Digital Equity Day in the Nation. Due to his experience, he was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Advisory Committee for the 12th Term. 

About the Program: 

• To attend in person please register here. 
• Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm. 
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm.  Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program. 
• This free event will be presented in-person and virtually.