Charlotte, N.C./April 28, 2023 – Johnson C. Smith University students flooded James B. Duke Memorial Library on Thursday, April 28, 2023, to receive a free laptop from Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D).
E2D is a company that was founded in 2013 to address the digital divide in Mecklenburg County. Since its inception, the company has supplied more than 35,000 laptops to North Carolina residents.
On Thursday, E2D distributed nearly 400 more laptops at JCSU thanks to the support of Truist, TIAA and Duke Energy.
“One of the reasons why I love this Charlotte community is because of its overarching will to work to create positive impacts for its citizens,” said Pat Millen, president and co-founder of E2D. “JCSU students needed their own computers, and we are pleased that so many generous companies joined E2D to step forward to say, ‘We’re all-in!’”
One of the many students who benefited from the laptop distribution was Jamerya Kelley ’23, a student who is earning her degree in Business Administration who is also in the JCSU Pre-Law program.
“I had a laptop, but it broke a few months ago,” said Kelley. “I have a lot of papers to do as a Pre-Law student, and I’ve been writing them on my phone or iPad for about three months now. I’m very grateful that this company reached out to our school to help because a lot of us are facing the same problem."
That problem is stable access to technology.
While JCSU has laptops and computer available for use in the library, they must be returned, and personal files don’t typically stay on them for long.
These laptops now belong to the student, and were supplied on a first come, first serve basis.
“This gift today is fueled by an important ideal: equity,” said Dr. Karen D. Morgan, senior vice president of Academic Affairs and chief academic officer at JCSU. “Access to technology directly impacts our student’s ability to learn. Thank you to E2D, Duke Energy, Truist and TIAA for being our partners in education.”
Millen said he hopes to continue to work toward a community with no digital barriers. He invited students to learn more about E2D and apply to work in their tech lab refurbishing computers by visiting www.e-2-d.org.
