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Honoring the Life and Legacy of Carole I. Smith and Recognizing February 14th - 20th as the 11th Annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week.
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WHEREAS, On Monday, January 4th, 2010, Carole I. Smith, Founder and Executive Director of the Mayor's Commission on Technology (MCOT) departed this life as a true public servant dedicated to empowering the citizens of Philadelphia through technology; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, Ms. Smith founded MCOT and has received various awards for focusing the City of Philadelphia on the importance of technology in shaping the City's 21st century economy; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Smith has served three Mayors as Executive Director of MCOT, was the President and CEO of the Workforce 2000 Initiative, was a columnist for The Neighborhood Leader, a community newspaper, hosted a weekly radio program, Carole's Corner on Technology, on 900 AM WURD, and produced and hosted MCOT's weekly webcast/cable TV program, Philadelphia's Got IT on Comcast, the City's and School District's Cable Channels, and MCOT's website; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Carole was selected by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women's inaugural Role Model Book, Voices and was inducted into the 3E Institute's Educator 500 Program at West Chester University as an entrepreneurial educator and she was inducted into Temple University's League for Entrepreneurial Women Hall of Fame in 2004 and in 2002 appointed a Fellow at Temple University's Fox School of Business and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Lincoln University; and
WHEREAS, With a M.S. in Public Administration, Ms. Smith was educated at Yale University, Occidental College, and Temple University and she was the President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Urban Fellows, Inc, Community College of Philadelphia, American Women's Heritage Society, Wireless Philadelphia, WYBE Channel 35, Mayor's Office of Community Services, Mayor's Task Force on Reintegration, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Oversight Board and the Executive Advisory Council of the CIO Forum & Executive IT Summit; and
WHEREAS, MCOT, in remembrance of Carole I. Smith, will be coordinating City-wide activities for the 11th Anniversary of the Black Family Technology Awareness Week (February 14th - 20th); and
WHEREAS, To promote this initiative, MCOT is partnering with the School District of Philadelphia, IBM, Black Data Processing Associates, National Society of Black Engineers, Black Education Advancement Alliance, Team Children, Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey, and various local African American operated for and non-profit organizations, to assure that Philadelphians have the technical skills and knowledge necessary to compete in the Digital Age; and
WHEREAS, The purpose of Black Family Technology Awareness Week is to change how African Americans perceive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and recognize that vigilance, education, and exposure are necessary to insure digital equity and that African Americans are able to qualify, compete, and participate in today's knowledge economy; and
WHEREAS, The purpose of Black Family Technology Awareness Week supports and advances Mayor Nutter's goal of making Philadelphia the country's premier education city, by reducing the high school drop out rate and increasing the number of Philadelphians with 4-year college degrees; and
WHEREAS, Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce NTIA Report entitled "Digital Divide" show that even though all racial groups now own more computers than they did in 2001, Blacks and Hispanics still lag even further behind in the levels of PC ownership and on-line access; and
WHEREAS, During Black Family Technology Awareness Week, events will take place throughout Philadelphia to disseminate information and help African Americans understand the many ways in which technology will continue to have a major impact on how they learn, work, live, and play; as well as understand the contributions they have made thereto; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor the life and legacy of Carole I. Smith as the Founder and Executive Director of the Mayor's Commission on Technology and recognize February 14th - 20th as the 11th Annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution is presented to Mrs. Narissa Wallace and representatives of the Mayor's Commission on Technology as an expression of the appreciation of this legislative body for her mother's extraordinary body of work to empower the citizens of Philadelphia.
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