LUPE families received their first computers this holiday season thanks to the strength of our Internet campaign
When I met with colonia parents to help them purchase their first computer, I knew what a big deal it was.
That computer was not just helping kids to keep up with their schooling, but giving access to an entire family to new technology and the internet.
Families of the colonias have long struggled with smaller, less powerful devices for homework and browsing the internet. Now, 60 families organizing with LUPE are taking a major step toward internet and informational equality.
Internet access is a necessity in the best of times. In a pandemic, it’s a lifeline. Since the pandemic sent students into distance learning, it became obvious that children of the colonias were falling behind. So we launched a campaign to win the right to Internet access in all rural neighborhoods.
Our campaign brought attention to the digital divide in colonias and with it, brought donors who wanted to help. Thanks to their donations, about 60 families will receive a computer or a $400 gift card to pay for internet.
But thousands of families still don’t have access to broadband internet or a computer. The digital divide is a structural divide, a deep inequality that relegates low-income families to a second class status when it comes to education and information.
We know that unequal internet access has long existed in our community – Covid just made it undeniable. Thanks to the colonia residents organizing our internet campaign, we have an opportunity to win internet access for rural communities. And with it, more justice and opportunity.
When you donate to LUPE, you are investing in colonia children’s education and their parents’ fight for equality. Donate today to help colonia residents organizing with LUPE win the right to internet.
Sincerely,
Sergio Treviño
Digital organizer, La Unión del Pueblo Entero
