Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

Remarks Made At The Telecom 95 Conference, 3 October 1995, Nelson Mandela

Trotter Review

This is a reprint of the address made by President Nelson Mandela at the TELECOM 95 Conference from October 3, 1995. In his remarks, he stressed the importance of new technologies for the development of the African continent, as well as the need for the expansion of communication and information networks. President Mandela also set forth his own "set of principles designed to enable the full participation of both the developed countries and the developing countries in building a global information society."

Who Determines What Our Children See, Read, Do, Or Learn On The Internet?, Sondlo Leonard Mhlaba

Trotter Review

The issue of appropriate use of the Internet at home and in schools is being hotly debated right now in, and outside, the Internet. In March 1995 Marlene Goss wrote a letter to the discussion list of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSNdisc@list.cred.net) appealing to educational policymakers to focus on access and equity when dealing with Internet in schools, instead of focusing on restricting such access. She found it remarkable how many hours were being spent "deciding student use when only 3% of the classroom teachers, professional adults, have use of the Internet." Her point was not so much that …

Quest To Own The Information Superhighway: How Much Of It Can Blacks Realistically Expect To Own?, Matthew S. Scott

Trotter Review

On the so-called information superhighway, cable systems, wire telephone lines, cellular services, satellite delivery and broadcast properties are converging to create an interconnecting electronic system on which audio, video and text can travel worldwide. Even though the system is not yet complete, many African Americans have expressed concern that they will somehow be left out on the back roads without an ownership stake. This essay will attempt to answer some of those questions pertinent to this quest of ownership.

Computer Utilization And Attitudinal Patterns In A Black Community, James Jennings

Trotter Review

During the Spring and Summer of 1995 The William Monroe Trotter Institute conducted a survey of resident utilization patterns and attitudes towards various facets of computer technology. This survey was commissioned by Freedom House, Inc. and supported with a grant from the AT&T Foundation in Boston, Massachusetts. The goal of this survey, composed of adult residents who have been served by Freedom House, and agency representatives of a small number of selected community-based organizations, is to inform planners at this agency about the computer technical needs, interests, and utilization patterns of its clients.

The Power Of Information And Communities Of Color, Lana W. Jackman, Patricia C. Payne

Trotter Review

In this age of the Information Superhighway, access to information has become a "human rights" issue for communities of color. Access to information is the backbone for economic growth in the world marketplace. Information literacy, the ability to find, evaluate, analyze, and use information effectively is the currency of infinite power and control of one's economic, social, and political destiny. For communities of color to gain access to this phenomenal communications/technological revolution, there is a need to become information literate.

Democracy, Technology And The Civil Rights Project, Caesar L. Mcdowell, Marianne S. Castano

Trotter Review

Democracy has been defined as "a political system in which the whole people make, and are entitled to make, the basic determining decisions on important matters of public policy." While the United States is often touted as the world's leading proponent of democracy, many U.S. citizens find themselves unable to engage in one of the central acts of democracy—creating public voice through public engagement. Public engagement in the United States is constrained by our inability to talk through our shared, complementary and divergent values. This lack of public engagement and our inability to speak in a "public voice" is also …

An Interview With E. David Ellington, President Of Netnoir, Inc., Harold W. Horton Jr.

Trotter Review

The following article is an interview with E. David Ellington, who was the President of NetNoir, Inc., a company "dedicated to digitizing, archiving, and distributing global Afrocentric content."

Creative Destruction In The Information Age: The Fallout On America's Latino Communities, Anthony G. Wilhelm

Trotter Review

The 104th Congress is in the midst of the first wholesale reform of telecommunications regulation in one-half century. The new regulatory framework emerging in the Republican-controlled Congress, if enacted, will usher in a radically deregulated, market-driven telecom environment, one in which the benefits of the emerging national information infrastructure will likely be distributed differentially, based on ethnicity and socio-economic status. Many U.S. residents may actually be charged higher rates for essential telecommunication services after deregulation (just as they did when cable television was deregulated), which may force many vulnerable users off the network. In addition, the concentration of media ownership …

Technological Revolution And The Black Studies Curriculum: A Course Proposal, Abdul Alkalimat

Trotter Review

A technological revolution is changing the world. The computer is fast becoming the universal tool in all aspects of work, production and communication, and innovations in bio-technology are fast transforming agriculture and health. The main impact of this technological revolution has been to restructure the economy, both the centers of accumulation as well as the labor process. It is also restructuring the methods by which people communicate, form and maintain communities. In general, the objective basis of social life is being fundamentally changed.

This essay proposes a basic course that not only focuses on the technological revolution, but should be …

Empowering Communities Of Color Through Computer Technology, Michael Roberts

Trotter Review

As we hurtle towards the 21st century, an increasing number of individuals start to realize that the ability to use computers and information technology resources effectively will determine how well individuals, organizations, and communities function in a rapidly changing technological society. Numerous studies, including one conducted in the Summer 1995 of Boston's Black community by Freedom House and The Trotter Institute, and highlighted in this issue, have documented the need of Americans—students, workers, unemployed, youth, adults and senior citizens, to become knowledgeable and proficient in the use of computers and information technology. There are several questions that do face communities …

Politics And The Information Superhighway, Bobby L. Rush

Trotter Review

The following statement was delivered on 24 May 1995 by the Congressman in support of the markup of The Communications Act of 1995.

Introduction, James Jennings

Trotter Review

This issue of the Trotter Review focuses on one of the most important set of challenges facing the Black community in the U.S., and that is, how to access, and manage, and control, significant facets and processes associated with the information superhighway. This current issue identifies the nature of the challenges, but also proposes some strategies that the Black community and its leadership might consider to ensure both access and control over information technology.

Frameworks For Evaluating Technology Transfer, Saskia Wilhelms

Trotter Review

Technology can help us to keep air and water clean, to educate ourselves and others, and to make our lives more comfortable. Technology, however, has in the ears of many, a threatening ring. Whether technology serves human well-being depends on its usage. Dust-covered computers, abandoned factories, underutilized hospitals, chemical plants polluting our environment, nuclear power threatening our health—negative instances of technology application abound. To obtain greater positive results, technology has to be applied and transferred according to criteria that enable us to assess potential benefits and risks associated with the technology. Technology transfer includes tangible and intangible assets, such as …