Event takes aim at science and technology gap

By AMBER MOBLEY
Published February 23, 2007

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UNIVERSITY AREA - Sponsored by IBM and Benito and Bartels middle schools, the Black Family Technology Night Workshop at Bowers-Whitley Career Center drew about 150 people Monday.

As part of Black History Month, communities across the nation have been holding special nights and weeklong celebrations focusing on technology awareness in the black family.

While nearly 50 percent of black families have computers in the home and about one-third are connected to the Internet, those numbers pale in comparison to their white counterparts.

According to the Department of Commerce, 85 percent of white families have home computers and almost two-thirds have Internet access.

Designed to help eliminate the science and technology gap in the black community, the Monday night event featured the University of South Florida's Computer Science and Engineering Department; the Art Institute of Tampa; Inroads, a leadership program that aims to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry; and other organizations.