Partnership delivers laptops for connected learning – Lowndes Signal

A partnership to bridge the digital divide delivered 160 laptops to students in Hayneville, Selma and Camden last week as part of the Connected Learning from AT&T® Initiative.

The partners distributed refurbished laptops at a Lowndes County Public Schools (LCPS) event in Hayneville on August 13. Thirty selected students from Central High School and Calhoun Schools received Windows-based laptops with Microsoft Office software pre-installed and one year of technical support. An additional 15 laptops, five for Lowndes County students and 10 for others selected to receive the devices.

Rep. Kelvin Lawrence (D-Hayneville) and District Judge Adrian Johnson joined Salute Selma Executive Director Catrena Norris Carter, LCPS administrators and AT&T Alabama Vice President Cleo Washington in distributing the devices donated by AT&T and Human IT.

“We partnered with AT&T to bridge the digital divide in low-income communities,” Lawrence said. “The distributions were great opportunities thanks to my help as a legislator, the nonprofit Salute Selma and AT&T. I grew up in Lowndes County and know there is a critical need in our communities, which is why I moved back here and opened a business here. We want to do everything we can to support education and give students the opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had because of the financial situation most of these kids face at home.”

According to Samita Jeter, superintendent of Lowndes County Public Schools, the distribution provided digital resources that are critical to student success.

“We are very grateful for the laptop donation to 30 of our deserving students. Laptops have become an important tool in education,” said Jeter. “Students can use them to communicate with teachers and classmates via email. They can take and organize notes to review and study later.”

“Students have easy access to a variety of online resources that allow them to conduct research and complete assignments or projects. They can organize digital files, reducing the risk of work being misplaced or lost. I’m sure our students are looking forward to this. Thank you to AT&T for thinking of our students at Lowndes.”

The distribution is part of a broader effort by AT&T employees to bridge the digital divide. The initiative aims to equip 20,000 students across America with laptops and eliminate digital inequities by ensuring internet access, affordability and safe use. $5 billion will be allocated to connect 25 million people to high-speed internet by 2030.

“AT&T is proud to partner with organizations like Salute Selma to close the digital equity gap in Alabama,” said Cleo Washington, vice president of AT&T Alabama. “Connectivity is vital for students and we are glad we can provide these resources to those who need them most.” 

Salute Selma, an organization that uses the lessons of the civil rights movement and applies solutions to improve the quality of life in communities, worked closely with Dallas County Schools, Selma University, Lowndes County Board of Education, Wilcox Board of Education and partner programs such as Selma Education, Literacy, Math and Arts (SELMA) to identify students to receive the devices.

“I’m from Selma,” Carter said. “I make it a point to give back whenever I can because I was once one of those students with a single mother. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities like bigger schools in bigger cities. I’ve never forgotten that.”

“Selma Salutes is made up of a group of people like me who make sure we send the elevator back down and take care of our people who are still at home. It’s always a pleasure for me to be able to do these things because I realize that poverty in the Black Belt is higher than the rest of the country.”

For more information about this program or eligibility, please contact Catrena Norris Carter at [email protected] or 205.266.0304.