The Black Digital Elite The Black Digital Elite African American Leaders of the Information Revolution John T. Barber Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Barber, John T. The black digital elite : African American leaders of the information revolution / John T. Barber. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-275-98504-0 (alk. paper) 1. African American leadership. 2. Elite (Social sciences)—United States. 3. African American scientists—Biography. 4. African Americans— Biography. 5. Information technology—Social aspects—United States. 6. African Americans—Social conditions—1975– 7. African Americans— Economic conditions. 8. Information society—United States. I. Title. E185.615.B297 2006 305.5023092396073—dc22 [B] 2006018122 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright ' 2006 by John T. Barber All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006018122 ISBN: 0-275-98504-0 First published in 2006 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10987654321 Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii Part I. Scientists and Innovators 1 1 Roy L. Clay, Sr. 3 Contributions to the Information Revolution 3 African Americans and the Information Revolution 6 Biography 7 Notes 9 2 Dr. Clarence A. Ellis 11 Contributions to the Information Revolution 11 African Americans and the Information Revolution 13 Biography 14 Notes 16 3 Dr. Mark Dean 17 Creating the First Personal Computers at IBM 17 Making Computers Run Faster 18 African Americans and the Information Age 20 Biography 21 Notes 23 4 Dr. Philip Emeagwali 24 Great Mind of the Information Age 24 A Father of the Internet 25 African Americans and the Information Age 26 Biography 28 Notes 29 Part II. Policymakers and Power Brokers 31 5 Ronald H. Brown 33 Drafting the Blueprint for the Information Infrastructure 33 v vi CONTENTS Building a Global Network of Networks 35 Ensuring Access for African Americans 36 Biography 37 Notes 38 6 Larry Irving 39 Building the Information Highways 39 Discovering the Digital Divide 41 Taking It to the Street 41 Biography 42 Notes 43 7 Bobby L. Rush 45 Writing Legislation for the Information Age 45 Wiring the Schools for the Internet 46 Providing Opportunity for African Americans 47 Biography 48 Notes 50 8 Edolphus Towns 52 Bringing Economic Benefits of Technology to the Black Community 52 Closing Technology Gaps at Historically Black Colleges and Universities 54 Biography 55 Notes 56 9 Albert R. Wynn 58 Overhauling Policy for the Information Age 58 Reforming Internet Policy 59 Providing Technology to African Americans 60 Biography 60 Notes 61 10 William E. Kennard 63 Being First at the Federal Communications Commission 63 Closing the Digital Divide: Fighting for the E-Rate 64 African Americans and the Digital Age 65 Biography 65 Notes 66 11 Michael K. Powell 69 Managing the Digital Broadband Migration 69 Changing the Rules of the Game 70 CONTENTS vii African Americans and the Information Age 71 Biography 72 Notes 73 12 Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. 75 Pushing Beyond Government Policies and Programs 75 Closing the Divide in Silicon Valley 76 Beginning the Fourth Stage of the Civil Rights Movement 77 Biography 79 Notes 81 Part III. Educators and Professionals 83 13 Dr. John B. Slaughter 85 Educating the Future Leaders of the Information Revolution 85 Excellence and Equity 87 Digitizing the U.S. Navy 88 From Engineer to Academic Administrator 89 Biography 90 Notes 91 14 LeBaron Woodyard 93 Building a Network for Higher Education 93 African Americans and the Future 96 Biography 97 Notes 98 15 Dr. Dhyana Ziegler 99 Helping Young People Be Creative in a Virtual World 99 Eliminating the Digital Divide in Florida 100 Preparing African Americans for the Information Age 102 Biography 103 Notes 105 Part IV. Cybercommunity Developers 107 16 Dr. Alan Shaw 109 Neighborhoods Are Still Important in a Digital World 109 Future Empowerment of Black Neighborhoods 113 Biography 114 Notes 115 17 Dr. Jabari Simama 117 Building the Information City 117 Moving from Digital Access to Digital Literacy 120 viii CONTENTS Biography 121 Notes 122 18 Dr. Abdul Alkalimat 124 Linking the Information Age to the Black Studies Movement 124 Cyberspace Advances the Agenda for Progress of African Americans 127 Biography 128 Notes 130 Part V. Masters of the World Wide Web 133 19 Art McGee 135 Identifying a Unique African American Cyberspace 135 Digital Activism 136 Using Technology for Liberation 137 Biography 138 Notes 139 20 E. David Ellington 140 Occupying the First Business Space in Cyberspace 140 Using Technology for Wealth Building 142 Biography 143 Notes 144 21 Don Rojas 146 Bringing News to the Black World via the Internet 146 The New Paradigm for Blacks and Technology 147 Pioneering Black Internet Radio 148 Biography 149 Notes 150 22 Kenn Turner 151 Saving the Black DotComs 151 Merging Africana.com and Black Voices at AOL 153 Expanding Black Participation on the Internet 153 Biography 155 Notes 156 Part VI. Chief Executive Officers, Entrepreneurs, and Big Money Makers 159 23 Richard D. Parsons 161 Merging the Old Media with the New 161 CONTENTS ix Reviving a Media Giant 162 Focusing on Performance Instead of Race 163 Biography 164 Notes 165 24 John W. Thompson 166 Becoming the Best Executive in Silicon Valley 166 Securing the Nation’s Information Infrastructure 167 African Americans and Success in the Information Age 168 Biography 169 Notes 170 25 Robert L. Johnson 172 Putting Corporate Power into the Black Internet 172 Capitalizing on Digital Cable 173 The Internet Is Just Another Way for Black People to Communicate 174 Biography 175 Notes 177 26 Noah A. Samara 178 Bringing the Digital Revolution to the Third World 178 Building the Infrastructure 179 Serving the Information Have-Nots 180 Biography 182 Notes 183 Index 185 Acknowledgments I am dedicating this book to my loving and devoted mother, the late Nora Lee Barber. She made me into what I am today and what I will become in the future. This book would not have been possible without the careful attention and editorial advice and assistance of my partner for life, Barbara Antoinette Gaston. I am also indebted to Spencer Hamilton, Sterling E. King, Jr., and William ‘‘Bill’’ Moore for their invaluable research assistance, administrative acumen, and editorial wisdom. Without them I would never have pulled it off. xi Introduction For more than four decades, African Americans have been leaders in the digital Information Revolution, which continues to change our world daily. This revolution has altered nearly every aspect of our lives by giving us cell phones, satellite television and radio, personal computing, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. African Ameri- cans have played diverse leading roles in bringing about this trans- formation from the industrial age to the information age, from building the foundation for Silicon Valley and designing the infra- structures for personal computers to crafting the laws and policies that guide this epoch of technological advancement. THE ROLE OF THE BLACK DIGITAL ELITE IN THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION Numerous volumes have been written about this era of advancement and the genius behind it. However, the technological contributions of Black Americans are seldom, if ever, mentioned. This book spotlights the Black digital elite, the African Americans whose achievements have contributed greatly to the advancement of the Information Revolution. The Black digital elite are among the growing number of Black computer scientists, mathematicians, analysts, cybercommunity developers, activists, and businesspersons who are leaders in the Information Revolution. African American computer scientists and engineers, for example, helped to establish Silicon Valley compa- nies that brought us new technologies and developed hardware and software, making it possible for this technology to reach all people. Because of the impacts of the technology revolution on society, laws, policies, and new practices were enacted to govern the dynamic changes in American society. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is the major legislation that supports the rollout of the xiii xiv INTRODUCTION information infrastructure of the nation. African Americans sat on the congressional committee that brought this important transforma- tion of the digital landscape into existence and simultaneously headed up key federal agencies, such as Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, and National Telecommuni- cations and Information Agency, implementing new policies that made all Americans a part of the new age of information. Black poli- ticians, policymakers, and political activists played a major role in this facet of the revolution. Policies and programs established by the federal government changed the way that we educate young people and prepare them for occupations and professions during the Information Revolution. African Americans have spearheaded educational technology initia- tives in California, Florida, Georgia, and other states throughout the nation. As the digitization of America rolled into high gear, states, cities, and communities throughout the nation worked to make sure that their citizens could benefit. Toward this end, African Americans led the effort to build cybercommunities in Atlanta, Miami, Boston, and other parts of the country. Bringing the digital age to every household has been a major effort of the Information Revolution. Universal access is a key com- ponent to the success of the revolution if for no other reason than the facts that greater usage decreases the cost of technology and that when technology can become inexpensive, more people will buy it and use it. Much has already been written, for example, about disadvantaged African Americans gaining access to the Internet.