ABOUT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous, "I Have a Dream" speech, he told the world, "One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity."

It has been more than four decades since that dramatic speech and we still see evidence that there is an island of poverty among an ocean of prosperity and wealth.

If we do not bring communities into the Information Age, this island will only become more isolated. Today, nearly two-thirds of all corporations require resumes to be submitted online; many companies do not even have the means to process a paper resume. Further, most colleges and universities require applications to be submitted through the Internet.

To combat this cycle of poverty, we must encourage low-income and minority people to learn how to get on the entrance ramp to the Information Highway and provide the vehicles that allow them to travel on that road. If we do not, the disadvantaged will be entirely shut out of society and unable to compete for jobs and a quality education. This will further widen the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots."