Digital Determinants

In this season finale, host Kyla Williams Tate brings the Digital Determinants journey full circle — from her grandmother Clara’s Great Migration story to the modern fight for digital justice. Kyla connects personal history with hard data, drawing on the Opportunity Atlas, the Social Determinants of Economic Mobility Framework, and the Digital Capital Framework to ask: Did the Great Migration trul...

What do the Great Migration and today’s digital divide have in common? More than we often realize. In this episode of The Digital Determinants, host Kyla Williams Tate follows the journey of millions of Black families who left the Jim Crow South in search of opportunity, only to find housing, labor, and education systems that were never built for them. A century later, digital platforms are repeat...

This episode, Workarounds and Wounds: Surviving the Great Migration and the Digital Divide, dives into the dual legacy of brilliance and brokenness within Black communities navigating systems not built for them. From rent parties in Bronzeville to porch networks in Cleveland and the hustles of Leimert Park, we trace how creative survival strategies during the Great Migration echo in today’s digita...

Episode 7 of Digital Determinants is here! In this powerful installment, we explore the hidden history of libraries as both sanctuaries and battlegrounds during the Great Migration and how they continue to shape the fight for digital equity today. From Chicago to Cleveland, Detroit to Los Angeles, Black communities have long relied on libraries for education, connection, and empowerment. But the j...

Episode 6 of Digital Determinants is here! Dive into an insightful conversation that connects the past to the present as we explore how digital literacy has become a superdeterminant of health—and why it’s critical for achieving health equity today. This week, we’re unpacking the enduring legacy of the Great Migration, during which over six million Black Americans moved to cities like Chicago, Det...

Dive into this thought-provoking episode of Digital Determinants with host Kyla Williams Tate! Together, we explore the powerful connections between the Great Migration, the fight for digital equity, and the 2024 presidential election. Join us as we examine: How the Great Migration influenced Black political and cultural power. The modern struggle for digital equity and its ties to voting rights....

The Great Migration is often split into two waves, the first occurring between 1916 and 1940. This episode is part of a three-part series in which host Kyla Williams Tate shares stories about other political and social happenings from 1916 through 1930. Who were the Presidents of the United States during that time period? Who were the mayors of the City of Chicago? Who already lived in Chicago, an...

In this episode, host Kyla Williams Tate shares stories about Black Churches in Chicago and their role in the Great Migration. This episode references Olivet Baptist Church, the National Baptist Convention, and Black Churches for Digital Equity (BC4DE). Special thanks to it_is_me_dominique on IG for the story on Rev. Lacey K. Williams. New episodes of Digital Determinants will be released monthly...

Happy Juneteenth! In this episode, host Kyla Williams Tate shares some insights about how Black Southerners traveled to recipient cities like Chicago, the strategic campaign from the Chicago Defender Newspaper, the employment experience for new Black residents in Chicago, a safe place and think tank in the Wabash Avenue YMCA, the Internet Equity Initiative Map, and the Cook County Digital Equity M...

In this episode, host Kyla Williams Tate introduces the inspiration behind the Digital Determinants Podcast, which includes a story about her Grandmother, an introduction to the Great Migration (special thanks to Clint Smith and Crash Course), and the Benton Opportunity Fund Fellowship. A new episode of Digital Determinants will be available on the 1st and 15th of each month. The Benton Institute...

The Digital Determinants podcast delves into the complex systemic reasons behind the presence of digital inequity and the challenges surrounding digital adoption within communities comprising generations from the Great Migration. This podcast will explore the impact of trust on digital participation, the implications of digital discrimination, and the unique challenges faced by descendants of the...