The Ministerial Alliance Against the Digital Divide is an organization of ministers from across the country devoted to bridging the digital divide between those who have ready access to the Internet and those who do not.

Most notable among the "have-nots" in the world of Internet technology are African Americans and Hispanics. According to a Year 2000 Department of Commerce Study, 51 percent of U.S. homes had computers and 41 percent had Internet access. Only 23.5 percent of African Americans and 23.6 percent of Hispanics have Internet access.

It's About the Children

MAADD strongly believes that providing access to the Internet for school children, particularly children growing up in urban areas, will create an awareness that lasts a lifetime.

As the Internet becomes a fundamental part of everyday life not only for Americans, but for people around the world, it is imperative that all children have the opportunity to develop the basic knowledge and skills that they will need to compete in the technology-driven future. Those needs will extend not only through all levels of education, but also throughout the working world.

Key to Success

Already, there is evidence that lack of Internet use follows economic lines. A study by the Pew Research Center found 31 percent of those without Internet access have household incomes of less than $30,000. Of that economic group, 75 percent of African Americans and 74 of Hispanics are not online.

To MAADD, the implications are clear: Future success will depend to a great degree on a person's ability to have Internet access.

Corporate Responsibility

The MAADD coalition will work to make sure that corporations embrace their community responsiblities to ensure that the digital divide is narrowed.

That is why MAADD took particular offense to the discovery in February of 2004 that several million dollars worth of computer equipment purchased by SBC and earmarked for Chicago Public Schools had been left in a warehouse and was never distributed to Chicago public school children.

MAADD believes corporate citizens like SBC have an obligation to shrink the gap, rather than to contribute to the chasm of the digital divide. When corporations fail our children, they fail our entire community.

A Call to Action

MAADD believes at the most basic level that raising awareness is the best way to succeed in this fight against the digital divide. By spreading the word about the consequences of falling on the wrong side of the digital divide, members of MAADD believe they can make a positive difference in the futures of their dynamic communities.

Spreading the word about the digital divide can manifest itself in many ways, and by sharing the gift of knowledge they can, at the same time, help to create a better future.