Harvey Hollins, manager of Strategic Partnerships at human I-T, left, and James Jack, human-I-T co-founder and CIO, are working to close the digital divide while bringing more jobs to Detroit.
Photo by Sherri Kolade
It’s no surprise to many that the COVID-19 pandemic shined a harsh light on the experiences Black and Brown communities face with having inequitable access to technology pre-2020.
This includes issues facing a major digital divide, particularly in Detroit with statistics from 2019 showing that about 35% of Detroit households not having broadband internet, Mozilla reported.
Since the pandemic, much has been done to reduce the divide between Detroiters and their suburban counterparts when it comes to technology.
The City of Detroit, human-IT, and other partners announced recently one of these initiatives to drive down the electronic gap even further with a four-month-long campaign that will help close the digital divide for at least 1,000 low-income families this year while creating jobs for Detroiters and reducing the amount of electronic waste headed to area landfills.
The “Empowering Digital Detroit” campaign calls on Detroit businesses and individuals to donate used, unwanted, or obsolete technology and electronics. Donations will be assessed for functionality before they’re securely refurbished by a team of local IT professionals, and redistributed back into the community. Technology that can’t be reused will be sustainably recycled, which keeps toxic metals and chemicals away from landfills.
Today’s event was attended by business leaders, city officials, and nonprofit partners, working together to shrink Detroit’s digital divide, one piece of technology at a time. Speakers included Mayor Mike Duggan, human-I-T CEO Gabe Middleton, Detroit’s Director of Digital Inclusion Joshua Edmonds and representatives from Connect 313, a citywide coalition with the goal to make Detroit a national model for digital inclusion. Several families also were on hand to receive free computers refurbished by human-I-T.
“Opportunity in Detroit is increasing by the day, whether employment, education, affordable housing or a range of critical assistance programs,” said Mayor Duggan in a press release. “However, in many cases, accessing those opportunities require a computer and internet access and if you can’t access an opportunity, it may as well not exist. I can’t thank our partners enough for their commitment to bridging the digital divide to open the doors of opportunity to every Detroit family.”
The campaign’s goal is to collect 500,000 pounds of used technology and distribute 1,000 refurbished and updated laptops to low-income Detroit residents by October. For more information, visit www.detroitmi.gov/digitaldonations. Additionally, Detroiters seeking guidance and assistance to meet their family’s technology needs can also call 313-241-7618, where they also can learn about low-cost or no-cost internet access.
Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, with 59.1 million tons of equipment discarded in 2019. That’s equivalent to more than 8,400 Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. At the same time, roughly 1 in 4 school-age children lack access to a personal computer or home internet connection, according to the press release. In Detroit, up to 40% of student households didn’t have access to a personal computer or a home internet connection even before the coronavirus pandemic. By transforming e-waste into opportunities, human-I-T reduces environmental impacts while also creating social benefit.
Since launching in late 2020, human-I-T assembled a team of 26 members – 16 of which are Detroit residents – to promote digital inclusion by refurbishing and repurposing used electronics. In their first 9 months, the nonprofit group processed nearly 100,000 pounds of e-waste from 20 corporate donors, and donated more than 15,000 computers and 7,000 internet hotspots to Detroit households.
Human-I-T still has several positions to fill and encourages Detroiters to apply at www.human-i-t.org under “Join The Team.”
“We make it easy for our partners to do good,” said human-I-T CEO Gabe Middleton. “We’re extremely excited to launch our first campaign collaboration with businesses in and around Detroit to create equitable access to digital opportunities. By simply donating old electronics instead of sending them to a landfill, companies can help to protect the environment, create jobs right here in Detroit, and create opportunities for students, seniors, veterans, and families.”
James Jack, human-I-T co-founder and CIO, told the Michigan Chronicle on Tuesday, June 22 that Detroit’s commitment and alignment from the local government, community and business sector is inspiring and speaks to a commitment and alignment to acknowledging the importance of having “access to opportunities.”
“That is really what our company is about,” Jack said inside the Michigan Chronicle office. “We know what the largest barriers are in this day and age — computer and internet connection.”
He added that he knows how important technological connectivity is because as a youth he didn’t do well in school and “barely graduated high school” but he was able to self educate on things he wanted to do, including start a medium-sized business.
“Essentially I saw how organizations were just tossing out laptops calling it e-waste. When I saw that I saw myself as a kid,” Jack said, adding that so many children don’t have access to computers and it’s time to change that narrative.
Harvey Hollins, manager of Strategic Partnerships at human I-T, said that the company is in Detroit “to stay.”
“This is the second hub for human I-T,” he said of the Los Angeles-based company handling e-waste from “this side of the Mississippi River. “It handles everything nationally; we have relationships internationally as well. “The more we get the more jobs we create and that comes with not only warehouse footprint but other things that go along with that as well. As we grow I don’t envision human I-T going anywhere soon.”
Detroit businesses can take advantage of the partnership with human-I-T to recycle and donate technology that they no longer need. With a simple phone call, donors can access human-I-T’s industry-leading IT asset disposition services. human-I-T will arrange an equipment pickup, securely wipe devices of sensitive data, refurbish and update them, and donate them to local community organizations and individuals who lack access to technology. Damaged or broken items are also accepted for end-of-life product disposal. All donations are tax deductible.
For more information, visit https://www.human-i-t.org or www.connect313.org .
