Earlier this month I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a powerful young leader, Kimberly Vasquez. Listen to this podcast episode to learn first hand how community led strategies help close the digital divide with Kimberly Vasquez.
In Baltimore, one out of every two Black and Brown households lacks basic high speed internet access and posing a massive barrier to education for children.
Kimberly Vasquez is working relentlessly to close the digital divide. Kimberly Vasquez (ella/she/her), was born and raised in a Guatemalan household in Baltimore. She is currently at Goucher College and serves as Co-President of NSO (Nomad Student Organization), a group at Goucher that brings students of immigrant backgrounds together to explore Baltimore and Towson. She is a Baltimore City College alum and served as Lead Organizer of SOMOS (Students Organizing a Multicultural and Open Society), a student-led advocacy organization in Baltimore.
In April 2020, Kimberly gave public testimony that resulted in 3 million dollars being transferred to Baltimore Schools for devices and internet access. That May, she began a campaign of demands for Comcast, a monopolistic internet provider in Baltimore, to provide adequate internet service for families. Kimberly worked with organizations, City Council members, and School Board members from across the country, as well as FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel, and more. In March 2021, her efforts successfully pressured Comcast to double their Internet Essentials speeds for low income subscribers, impacting over 1 million people nationwide.
I think that the fight for digital inclusion is essential to the fight for shared prosperity in the 21st century. I think that governments and internet service providers would benefit from taking seriously the perspectives of community leaders and stakeholders in creating solutions to the digital divide.
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[LISTEN] Kimberly Vasquez on Community-Led Strategies to Close the Digital Divide