On Saturday, Sept. 22, I received the privileged honor of speaking at the 46th Annual Building the Beloved Community Gala event thrown by El Centro de la Raza, one of Seattle’s most historic Latino community and advocacy centers. The gala is the largest fundraiser of the year to support the children, youth, families and seniors that utilize the Center’s many community programs.
I also had the privilege to address an issue that is very near and dear to my heart – digital literacy and access to technology.
Before moving here last year, I spent most of my previous 20 years living in different Latin American countries, lately in Mexico and Brazil. Whether it is Mexico City, Sao Paulo or right here in Seattle, far too many people in these underrepresented communities lack access to the internet and the technology they need. Moreover, it seems that the more technology advances, the further behind those without these tools become.
To help combat this problem, Comcast has supported El Centro de la Raza’s Digital Engagement Initiative for several years. This comes in the form of support for public Wi-Fi for the center and its community, a mobile computer lab, naturalization classes, young adults in tech training courses, and more. We were also very pleased to announce an $80,000 digital inclusion grant for the center that will go towards funding more technology projects for this community center.
It is a tremendous honor to work for a company that supports digital inclusion programs for those who truly need it. I believe in the power of community centers like this one and Digital Engagement Initiatives because they put tools and resources in the hands of thousands of people, as well as enable families and individuals to reach new heights in their personal and professional lives. This is why organizations like El Centro de la Raza are so important.
I want to thank El Centro de la Raza for allowing me to speak at this event and for all of the work they have done in the local community. I also want to encourage those of you in our greater community to support similar types of organizations and digital programs in any way you can.
Whether it is El Centro de la Raza or another community group you feel passionate about, helping to provide technology and digital literacy training for people can make a tremendous impact on their lives. It also builds strong communities that can have a lasting impact on our society for years to come.
Are you interested in getting involved with local community groups? Reach out to our team for a list of the different organizations and employee resource groups we work with across Washington for suggestions.
Emerson Sampaio | Vice President, Engineering | COMCAST – Washington
Executive Co-Sponsor of Unidos, the regional Comcast Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group