Celebrate the Past by Embracing the Future

Baltimore, Md. -- The National Black Family Technology Awareness Campaign, sponsored by the IBM Corporation and founded by Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG), will celebrate the fifth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW), February 9-15, 2003.

National Black Data Processing Associates is the title organization sponsor.

BFTAW is a national public awareness campaign designed to encourage more Blacks to incorporate technology into their daily lives. National partners and corporate supporters for this year's campaign include IBM Corporation, Kraft Foods, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Verizon, Sun Microsystems, National Black Data Processing Associates, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).

Over the past four years, more than 100 cities across the country hosted activities that not only assisted communities in getting online but also helped Blacks become more competitive by exploring technologies that will enable them to access and leverage key information from virtually anywhere. Professional and community organizations, including churches, youth groups, schools, clubs, corporations, and senior-citizen centers, hosted a variety of programs designed to highlight the potential of new technology. In February 2002, more than 600 technology-related events with more than 30,000 participants were held across the country. More than 38 million impressions were made through the media, direct mail, educational outreach efforts, and direct program participation.

This year's Awareness Week will culminate with the Black Family Technology Empowerment Weekend, to be held at the Baltimore Convention Center as part of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference, February 13-15, 2003, in Baltimore, Md.

Tyrone D. Taborn, CCG's publisher and CEO, says, "The Black Family Technology Awareness Campaign was never about simple Internet access and mere computer ownership but rather about Blacks' becoming true beneficiaries of the many assets of technology and all it has to offer."

Taborn says economic empowerment for Blacks is a major factor in the "digital game." As a community, he says, Blacks must not only grow in knowledge and access but also learn how that knowledge and access can generate revenue for their families and ultimately empower the communities in which they reside. Taborn says there are many criteria by which to measure the "Digital Divide," including but not limited to computer ownership and Internet access; quality of Internet connections; production vs. consumption of technology; computer literacy and skill level; employment in technical jobs; and ownership of Internet and other technology-related enterprises.

For more information about the 2003 Black Family Technology Awareness Campaign, including information about how your community can apply for a BFTAW activity grant, log onto www.blackfamilynet.net or contact CCG's director of outreach, Michelle Wilson, at mwilson@ccgmag.com 

Contact:

Michelle D. Wilson

410-244-7101, ext. 115

729 East Pratt Street, Suite 504

Baltimore, Maryland 21202