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A partnership aimed at bridging the digital divide delivered 160 laptops to students in Hayneville, Selma and Camden last week as part of the  AT&T Connected Learning® initiative.

The partners distributed refurbished laptops in Hayneville at an event hosted by Lowndes County Public Schools (LCPS) on Aug. 13. Thirty selected students from Central High School and The Calhoun Schools received windows-based laptops complete with preloaded Microsoft Office Software and one year of technical support. Another 15 laptops, five for Lowndes County students and 10 for other individuals identified for receiving the devices.

Rep. Kelvin Lawrence (D-Hayneville) and District Judge Adrian Johnson joined Salute Selma Executive Director Catrena Norris Carter, LCPS administrators and AT&T Alabama Vice President Cleo Washington to pass out the devices donated by AT&T and Human IT.

“We partnered with AT&T for their initiative to bridge the digital divide in low-income communities,” Lawrence said. “The distributions were great opportunities, through the help of myself as a legislator, the nonprofit Salute Selma and AT&T. I grew up in Lowndes County and I know there are dire needs in our communities. That’s why I moved back here and opened a business here. We want to do whatever we can to promote education and give students the opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have been afforded because of the financial situation most of these kids face in their homes.”

According to Lowndes County Public Schools Superintendent Samita Jeter, the distribution provided digital resources vital to student success.

“We are very grateful for the donation of laptops to 30 of our deserving students.  Laptops have become an important tool in education,” Jeter said. “Students can use them to interact with teachers and peers through emails. They will be able to take and organize notes to review and study later.  

“The students will have easy access to a wide variety of online sources which will allow them to conduct research and complete assignments or projects. They will be able to organize digital files, reducing the risk of misplaced or lost work. I am certain our students are excited to receive them. Thanks to AT&T for thinking of our students in Lowndes.”

The distribution is part of a broader AT&T employee effort to help bridge the digital divide. The initiative aims to equip 20,000 students across America with laptops and to address digital disparities by providing internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption with $5 billion committed to connect 25 million people with high-speed internet by 2030.

“AT&T is proud to collaborate with organizations like Salute Selma to help close the digital equity gap in Alabama,” said Cleo Washington, vice president, AT&T Alabama. “Connectivity is vital for students, and we’re glad we can provide these resources to those that need them most.” 

Salute Selma, an organization designed to take lessons learned through the lens of the civil rights movement and apply solutions for improving quality of life in communities, worked closely with Dallas County Schools, Selma University, the Lowndes County Board of Education, the Wilcox Board of Education and partner programs like Selma Education, Literacy, Math and Arts (S.E.L.M.A.) to identity students to receive the devices.

“I’m from Selma,” Carter said. “I make a point to give back whenever I can because once upon a time, I was one of those students with a single mom. We didn’t get a lot of access to opportunities like larger schools in bigger cities. So, I never forgot that.

“Selma Salutes is a bunch of folks like me who try to make sure we send the elevator back down and take care of our folks that are still at home. It’s always a pleasure for me to be able to do those things because I realize the poverty level is higher in the Black Belt than in most of the country.”

For more information about this program or to inquire about eligibility, please contact Catrena Norris Carter at catrena.carter@saluteselma.org or 205.266.0304.