By Andy Stutzman
Meeting local leaders with a passion for their community is one of my favorite aspects of working with Next Century Cities. I recently had the privilege of speaking at Digital Durham’s Digital Equity Leadership Program Town Hall at North Carolina Central University. The event, organized by Digital Durham board members Leah Kraus and Laura Fogel, was a fantastic success with more than 140 registrants.
The program, led by Dr. Tricia Townsend, included remarks from Mayor Leonardo Williams, local organizations like the Kramden Institute, and from Annette Taylor, North Carolina’s Directory of Digital Equity and Literacy, providing the state perspective. I was invited to offer a national overview; informing the local audience of national policy issues and updates to current BEAD approvals and funding. Mayor Williams announced that Digital Durham will be allocated $493,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to provide digital inclusion services in the city to improve digital skills and reduce the inequities of the digital divide.
The event was highly focused on NCCU’s Digital Equity Leadership Program. Community partners shared their perspectives on the various needs of the community and highlighted current initiatives and included an overview of a recent community survey.
Digital Durham was founded in 2016 by local librarians who had a front-line view of the city’s digital equity needs. As a volunteer-led digital equity coalition, they have been active in advocating for digital skills programming, device access, and the need for community collaboration. In 2021 they worked closely with the community and city government to create the first Digital Equity Plan for Durham. 
From my experience leading a digital equity coalition, and interacting with multiple coalitions from across the country, Digital Durham stands out as an example for communities to follow. The commitment from an engaged volunteer-led board, the active involvement of local government, and the involvement of local non-profit organizations like the Kramden institute are the ingredients of a thriving digital equity coalition. These tenets have created the perfect foundation for them to grow using the ARPA funding.
While attending the town hall event, I made two other insights that highlighted the signs of a healthy digital equity coalition and ecosystem. The first was Digital Durham’s initial efforts to collect data and perform a needs assessment. Seeking data to better understand the community you’re serving is critical and will assist in understanding which areas of the city need the most assistance, who your stakeholders are, and what type of programming is most necessary. Secondly, the attendance of local community members at the town hall was a welcome sight. As a non-profit organization, especially a volunteer-led group, it’s easy to just focus on the partnerships and other leaders in the community and not include the people you’re actually serving. Active involvement from community members will only improve the work of a digital equity coalitions.
Digital equity coalitions are all unique, but there are a few areas that create a solid foundation for success. Digital Durham is an excellent example for other coalitions to follow. I look forward to continuing our work with them and watching as they continue to grow and serve their community.
Lastly, I’d be remiss to leave out that Digital Durham has been a long time member of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and utilized the resources available on their website and through their community meetings. We encourage other coalitions to become a member of NDIA and be part of the growing community of digital equity professionals.