Black Broadband Summit
The Black Broadband Summit is supported by Global Entrepreneurship Week Minnesota, Nexus Community Partners, and Voqal. It provides a platform for people impacted by the digital divide to voice their experiences and brainstorm new solutions. It's not just a gathering - it's a movement to empower communities for a digital divide free future.
Our goal is to address the digital divide and promote equity in Internet access within the Twin Cities community. They believe that everyone, regardless of background, deserves equal opportunity in the digital age. The Summit is an outgrowth of the ongoing and concerted efforts of Project Nandi. The Black Broadband Summit epitomizes our relentless pursuit of digital equity. Project Nandi stands as a beacon of hope, extending essential services such as laptops, food, technical support and connectivity to families of color.
During the Black Broadband Summit of 2023, equity expert Donte Curtis served as MC and community builder for the summit. Donte has dedicated his life to leadership, social justice and liberation. He is the founder of Catch your Dream Consulting and co-chairs the board of the Social Enterprise Alliance MSP. He brings 14 years of facilitation and social change experience with the ability to energize and help you take practical action and find hope for a better future. Donte works to inspire and train people nationwide on leadership, racial equity, anti-racism, and creating change.
Nkuli Shongwe spoke at the Black Broadband Summit as well. Nkuli is the director of the North Star Black Cooperative, has been appointed commissioner of the City of St. Paul's Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission, and holds a Master of Human Rights from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Ohio University. She brings together worker-owners of Black-owned cooperatives by connecting them to the history of Black cooperative economics in the United States. Nkuli works toward her vision of the future of Black wealth and empowers communities to be more engaged and powerful.
The Summit is an essential gathering designed to explore and address the unique challenges facing Black communities in accessing broadband. The event is designed to provide a platform to discuss initiatives, share best practices, and foster collaborative efforts for equitable broadband access.
The Black Broadband Summit will create the first black-run, community owned and operated Internet cooperative in the Twin Cities. Its ISP will be designed and operated by the people most affected by the digital divide. The Summit is open to anyone interested in creating accessible, community-driven solutions to the digital divide. For more information and to register, visit www.blackbroadbandsummit.com.