The "Digital Determinants" podcast offers critical insights into how historical events, particularly the Great Migration, intersect with today’s pervasive digital inequities. Each episode offers intersectional analysis, tying technological barriers to broader socio-political challenges. Through storytelling, historical frameworks, and actionable insights, the podcast converges different disciplines to advocate for digital equity. This essay describes five episodes of the podcast, connecting their themes to five key recommendations for digital equity advocacy, with the aim of contributing meaningful insights to the broader discourse on this critical issue.

Recommendations

1. Storytelling advances digital equity and bridges gaps by raising awareness and fostering understanding and empathy among diverse communities.

2. To truly advance digital equity, dedicated leadership at every community level is crucial.

3. More outreach and engagement with Black Churches and Black Church Coalitions.

4. Digital Equity subject matter experts should be part of every economic council and special group focused on economic development or wealth generation for marginalized communities.

5. Contact local elected representatives and demand policies that promote affordable internet access and digital literacy programs. 

Historical Roots and Faith Communities in Bridging the Digital Divide (Episodes 1 and 2)

Episodes 1 and 2 of "Digital Determinants" center on the Great Migration (1916–1970), during which millions of African Americans fled violence and economic oppression in the U.S. South to build futures in urban centers like Chicago and Detroit. This migration not only changed political and cultural landscapes but also created systemic challenges as African Americans grappled with societal discrimination in labor, housing, and economic opportunities. The episodes draw parallels between these historic struggles and modern technological inequities.

Episode 2 highlights the Wabash Avenue YMCA in Chicago as a powerful example of how communal trust and collective support can drive progress despite systemic barriers. Churches have played a similar role and long been a cornerstone of Black culture. They serve as a sanctuary for empowerment, fosters unity, and provides vital resources to uplift the community in challenging times. Even today, the Black church remains deeply entrenched in Black culture, continuing to play a pivotal role in community life and advocacy (Sorett, 2023). 

Contemporary Black churches hold immense potential to address digital inequities just as they addressed economic and literacy challenges during the Great Migration. Churches in low-income Black communities are vital intermediaries for providing social services, education, and community engagement opportunities (Kvasny & Lee, 2011). To enhance digital equity outreach further, digital equity leaders and organizations can partner more robustly with Black churches and church coalitions. 

Multiple projects provide proof-of-concept for digital equity work through churches, such as "Connected Churches" in Chicago. Additionally, the Black Churches for Digital Equity initiative highlights how these partnerships can bridge the digital divide by leveraging the trusted role of churches within their communities (Black Churches for Digital Equity, n.d.). And the untapped potential within faith communities is vast. The Tech in Churches during COVID-19 project found that many churches lacked resources to make the online transition during the pandemic, highlighting gaps in infrastructure and digital training that were present pre-pandemic (Campbell, 2023). As a result, many church leaders emerged from the crisis not only aware of the digital inequities their congregants face, but also more motivated to advocate for solutions that ensure digital access is treated as a moral and community imperative.

Storytelling and Community History to Build Trust (Episode 3)

The third episode of Digital Determinants, “Was Chicago Canaan?”, uses Chicago as a metaphor for a promised land for African Americans during the Great Migration. The narrative reveals the enduring systemic barriers that prevented these expectations from being realized. Trust, a salient theme in this episode, emerges both as a historical tool of survival and as a modern necessity in adoption of digital tools. For instance, just as migrating families depended on trusted publications like the Chicago Defender for guidance, today’s populations also require trusted social entities to inform and assure them of technology’s benefits.

The episode highlights storytelling as a critical tool to bridge these gaps and foster understanding across divides, leading to the recommendation that storytelling can be used to raise awareness about digital inequities. Storytelling is especially effective because it transforms abstract issues into relatable, human‑centered narratives (Huffman & Zeglen, 2023). 

For example, in this episode I share familial migration stories to correlate past geographic shifts to urban centers with those areas still suffering systemic disinvestment. These parallels between historical events and today’s digital divide aim to compel listeners to see how the legacies of exclusionary policies persist, ensuring that storytelling transcends mere anecdote. Research suggests that authentic personal narratives can cultivate empathy and foster coalition-building around shared goals (Haapanen et al., 2023) —such as expanding broadband access or addressing racial inequities in technology policy.

Modern Digital Inequities as a Civil Rights Concern (Episode 4)

Episode 4 shifts the focus to digital inequity as a systemic and structural extension of past barriers. Marginalized communities frequently lack access to reliable broadband and affordable technology. I connect these phenomena to the legacy of the Great Migration, wherein families concentrated in under-resourced areas with limited infrastructure due to redlining and systemic discrimination.

This episode proposes embedding digital equity expertise in economic and policy councils. Access to technology should be positioned as an important component of economic mobility. Without integrating digital equity into the organizations that control resource allocation and urban planning, marginalized communities will remain excluded. Partnership with municipal governments can help expand and mainstream the efforts that community-based organizations, including churches, are already engaged in. 

Government economic councils that ignore interconnected issues such as accessibility, housing, income and wealth generation, and health care, risk perpetuating the digital divide, much like policy failures that overlooked Black communities’ needs during the industrial migration era. Without these experts on task forces, cities risk implementing high-cost technologies that exclude the very communities they aim to serve.

The Impact of Digital Access on Political Power and Mobilization (Episode 5)

Episode 5 examines digital disenfranchisement's political implications, particularly for the 2024 presidential election. For descendants of the Great Migration, access to digital platforms serves as a crucial tool for political mobilization, education, and combating misinformation. Yet in many of the cities where these communities settled, limited connectivity and low digital adoption mirror broader challenges of democratic participation, including persistently low voter turnout.

The rise of social media as a political force magnifies the consequences of the digital divide. Areas with limited broadband invariably experience barriers in informed voting, leaving them susceptible to disinformation campaigns or exclusion from essential discourse. This episode highlights the need for advocacy to support affordable internet and other related policies. Programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) offer short-term subsidized broadband, but their impact is limited without consistent funding and local involvement. Similarly, Chicago Connected offers no-cost, high-speed internet service to Chicago Public School students and their families but operates on a year-to-year basis rather than being embedded as a permanent public utility (Chicago Connected, n.d.).

Additionally, individuals with low digital literacy are often unaware of such programs or face challenges navigating the enrollment process, further limiting their adoption. For example, 43% of adults with household incomes below $30,000 lack home broadband services, and 41% do not own a desktop or laptop computer (Vogels, 2021), which can hinder their ability to learn about and enroll in affordable internet plans and benefits. Moreover, about one-third of Americans lack basic digital skills, disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic individuals (Kendall, Colavito, & Moller, 2023). The need to address digital literacy gaps to improve enrollment in affordability programs and adoption rates is urgent.

To ensure that affordability interventions reach the communities that most need them, community-level, digital equity efforts need dedicated leadership. Without local champions to steer partnerships with internet providers and government offices, funding will continue to be a limiting factor. Emerging coalitions, such as Black Churches for Digital Equity, mobilize their members to raise awareness and engage with policymakers, serving as an effective example of bridging local organizing and federal advocacy (Boulware, 2024).

Bridging Lessons of the Past and Digital Advocacy of the Present

The five podcast episodes described here illustrate how the histories and inequities that shaped African American communities during the Great Migration manifest today through digital barriers. By examining faith communities as agents of digital equity, storytelling as a tool to build trust and power, policy councils as spaces for reform, access as a civil rights concern, and political mobilization in the digital age, these episodes offer a framework for addressing systemic exclusion. Collectively, they highlight the intersection of trust, systemic barriers , and digital adoption among descendants of the Great Migration and emphasize the importance of adopting multifaceted strategies for impactful change. They also inspire the key strategies proposed here for digital equity advocacy.

To recap, the strategies are:

• Strengthen Partnerships with Black Churches and Coalitions
  Expand outreach and engagement efforts with Black Churches and organizations like Black Churches for Digital Equity (BC4DE). These partnerships can serve as powerful platforms to amplify digital equity initiatives and reach underserved communities effectively.

• Leverage Storytelling to Bridge Gaps
  Utilize storytelling as a strategic tool to advance digital equity by raising awareness, fostering empathy, and building understanding among diverse communities. Sharing personal narratives and lived experiences can influence the development of inclusive policies and practices, ensuring digital technologies are accessible and beneficial to all.

• Integrate Digital Equity Experts into Economic Councils
  Embed digital equity subject matter experts within economic councils and groups focused on economic development or wealth generation for marginalized communities. This ensures that solutions are designed to close the digital divide rather than unintentionally perpetuate it.

• Advocate for Policy Change to Support Digital Equity
  Mobilize communities to contact local elected representatives and advocate for policies that promote affordable internet access and digital literacy programs. Without supportive policy frameworks, even the most robust digital equity initiatives will fall short of their potential impact.

• Cultivate Dedicated Leadership for Sustained Impact

Prioritize the establishment of strong, dedicated leadership at the community level to drive accountability and action. Digital equity must be treated as a long-term commitment, independent of temporary funding cycles, to ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind in the digital age.

This essay serves as the foundation for a broader inquiry, with the forthcoming second essay expanding the analysis to the additional strategies presented in episodes 6 through 10. Together, these essays aim to connect the podcast’s insights to actionable practices and theoretical frameworks, contributing meaningfully to the discourse on digital equity. By leveraging these interconnected themes, this research aspires to bridge the past and the present to create a more inclusive digital future for communities historically marginalized and excluded from technological progress.

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Kyla Williams Tate is the Director of Digital Equity in the Cook County Office of the President. Her Benton Opportunity Fund Fellowship project traces the relationship between trust, digital discrimination, and digital adoption among the descendants of the Great Migration.

References

Black Churches for Digital Equity. (n.d.). Who we are. Retrieved June 21, 2025, from https://www.blackchurches4digitalequity.com/who-we-are

Boulware, D.S. (2024). Black churches lead the fight for digital equity. Word In Black. https://wordinblack.com/2024/06/black-churches-lead-the-fight-for-digital-equity/.

Campbell, H. A. (2023). When churches discovered the digital divide during COVID-19. Ecclesial Practices, 10(1), 36–61. https://doi.org/10.1163/22144417-bja10046

Chicago Connected. Chicago Public Schools. (n.d.). https://www.cps.edu/strategic-initiatives/chicago-connected/ 

Haapanen, K. A., Christens, B. D., Freeman, H. E., Speer, P. W., & Crowell-Williamson, G. A. (2023). Stories of self, us, and now: narrative and power for health equity in grassroots community organizing. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1144123. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1144123

Huffman, S., & Zeglen, J. (2023 Oct 19). The key to moving digital equity forward? Storytelling and collaboration, national advocates say. Technical.ly.

Kendall, J., Colavito, A., & Moller, Z. (2023). America’s digital skills divide. Third Way.

Kvasny, L., & Lee, R. (2011). E-government services for faith-based organizations: Bridging the organizational divide. Government Information Quarterly, 28(1), 66-73.

Sorett, J. (2023). Black is a church: Christianity and the contours of African American life. Oxford University Press.

Tate, Kyla W. (2023). Digital Determinants Podcast. Retrieved from digitaldeterminants.com.

Vogels, E. A. (2021). Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption. Pew Research Center.