Monique Tate

The Community Tech Lab was built at El Puente in response to a need for a tactile learning space and as a solution to the matrix of digital equity issues the community faces. El Puente serves primarily low-income, Spanish-speaking residents with limited access to devices and internet connectivity at home.  Additionally, the community faces risk from flooding, heat waves, and power outages. These circumstances increase an already vulnerable population’s potential for disastrous situations for which there are minimal to no preemptive emergency communication plans.