For 200 years, the Black church has been at the forefront of advocating for social issues and human rights nationwide, and organizations like Black Churches 4 Digital Equity (BC4DE) are working to address a major justice issue facing African American communities: the digital divide.
“Historically, African American churches have always had to be the counter public space for Black people in the United States to understand how to live in a country that didn’t want them, how to lead in a country that didn’t want them,” says Dr. Fallon Wilson, Vice President of Policy at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and lead organizer of the BC4DE Coalition. “It makes sense that the African American church now can lead in this new digital equity [space] and the artificially intelligent world that is being built.”
During the Civil Rights Movement, religious leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy organized and led marches and protests for racial inequality. In 2021, Rev. William J. Barber II led a four-day voting rights march across Texas to counter voter restriction legislation.
Recently, BC4DE joined forces with the Greater Grace Temple – The City of David in Detroit to host the inaugural Juneteenth National Digital Equity Bible Study, an event rooted in fostering digital equity and literacy in the Black community.
The historic moment brought guest speakers, technology experts, and a taste of praise and worship to hundreds of hybrid guests with a shared mission in advocacy.
“If we really think about the role of the African American church, it has been a cornerstone for economic, social and political mobility for Black people,” Wilson says. “For us at [BC4DE], it is simply the evolution of the work that Black churches have been doing post-slavery, post-reconstruction to build a better experience and freedoms for Black people in this country.”
Since its establishment in 2021, the BC4DE Coalition, an initiative of MMTC, has partnered with 50 Black churches and Black church nonprofits across 13 U.S. states and the District to ensure equal access to affordable and reliable internet.
The collaboration of over 400 church leaders has worked to build Black technology innovation systems, and been at the forefront of the push for broadband benefits and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In addition to lobbying the legislature, the churches have worked at the ground level educating ministries on how to use data and access digital resources.
“We have grown into a movement of Black church leaders who see digital equity and technology as a social ministry and not simply as a digital evangelism,” Wilson says. “The church…can be a transgenerational learning space for not only our seniors, but for our young people. We say we begin with digital equity, but the future is all about the emerging technologies that are terrifying our community as we speak.”
Minister Dominique Grant-King, associate pastor of Ebenezer Everywhere at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, emphasized the importance of the church’s role in community engagement and connectivity in limited spaces.
“We are surrounded, unfortunately, by broadband desert, so we don’t have the fastest networks in our areas, which impacts the way we reach our congregation,” King says. “Without knowledge, our people will perish. We want to make sure that they have the infrastructure, resources and connectivity that they need, so they are not left behind.”
‘It’s an Uphill Battle’
With faith-based unions working to bridge the digital gap, congressional leaders are under immense pressure to enact change.
Programs such as the Juneteenth National Digital Equity Bible Study and the National Black Church Initiative drive the call for equality within underfunded communities; however, some church leaders feel there is much more to be done at the legislative level.
“No matter what advocacy that the Black church is fighting against, the uphill battle is against…elected officials [on on] behalf of the corporations,” says the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of National Black Church Initiative. “We must hold our Congressional Representative sheet to the fire to represent the Black community interest.”
He adds that the church should recognize this social issue as a “21st century fight” against technological companies who deny access to low-income areas and argues for the benefit of more regulation and representation within the industry.
“We are the lone voice of advocating for the poor in terms of…trying to close the technology gap. I suggest the African American community [funds] an agency ourselves to advocate, protect and monitor the growth of technology in society,” he says.
Since Congress set forth $65 billion of funding to broadband, King urges communities to learn to recognize digital inequity at a local level. She recommends residents become familiar with their local broadband officers and approved initiatives, and calls on Congress to “think creatively” on how to allocate funds without creating challenges for low-income areas.
“There’s bias in the loan system. There’s bias in the grant and philanthropic community. It immediately takes Black and brown organizations off the map from doing this work for their community,” she says. “It doesn’t require additional funding to fix the systems you created that are consistently creating inequitable ways in.”
Some legislation aims to support the need for community engagement and equity. The developing Digital Equity Act Competitive Program, which received 1.5 billion dollars in funding, will allow constituents to submit plans and proposals on how to address the digital divide. Additionally, the Biden-Administration Internet for All Program is committed to ensuring affordable, reliable high-speed internet by the end of the decade.
As for the Black church, the Black Church 4 Digital Equity Coalition will continue its Juneteenth National Digital Equity Bible Study, and soon kick off the state-wide National Black Churches 4 Digital Equity Fall Tour, according to Wilson.
While inequity remains a continuing battle within the Black community, Black church leaders are prepared to lead the charge for a more inclusive digital future.
“Until we, as a church family, deal with the digital divide, we have no future in an AI world,” Wilson says. “There is no AI future without digital equity, and there is no digital equity without racial equity.”
For more information on Black Churches 4 Digital Equity, the digital divide, or local and federal resources, go to the following links: