NAACP President Kweisi Mfume speaks out at 90th annual convention  ALSO: NAACP to sue gun makers VIDEO CNN's Jonathan Aiken examines the lawsuit (July 13) Windows Media 28K 80K MESSAGE BOARDS: Guns under fire Television and the race question

July 13, 1999
Web posted at: 4:04 a.m. EDT (0804 GMT)

In this story: Growing black-white disparity For some income groups, a matter of choice TV campaign could mean lawsuits, boycotts RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK -- Black and Hispanic families are far less likely to use computers or surf the Internet than white families, and the NAACP is launching a program to close the digital gap.

To help bridge the "digital divide," the NAACP will work with AT&T to create technology centers in 20 cities that will provide computer training and Internet seminars.

The centers will be open after school hours so parents and children can learn the computer together.

NAACP is also targeting images and role models young minorities see on television. The strongly criticized television network executives for a dearth of roles for minority characters, saying that the upcoming season represents a "virtual whitewash" in new programming, since none of the 26 new shows slated for the upcoming fall season have minorities in featured roles.

"This glaring omission is an outrage and a shameful display by network executives who are either clueless, careless or both," NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said Monday.

"The technological segregation known as the digital divide must be narrowed," Mfume said.

Mfume announced that through the technology program AT&T will provide hardware, software and on-site support in the centers.

NAACP spokesperson Sheila Douglas said that outside of Baltimore, where the NAACP is headquartered, locations of the other 19 sites are yet to be determined. The project will cost approximately $300,000, she said.

Ameritech Corp. and the National Urban League announced last week they will spend $350,000 to build five new Internet community centers in Aurora, Illinois, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. And 3Com Corp. said it will spend $1 million in donated equipment and training in 10 cities to help teach students to be computer network engineers.

Last week, a Commerce Department report, "Falling Through the Net," said the disparity on the Internet between whites and black and Hispanic Americans is growing.

The report found about 47 percent of all whites own computers, but fewer than half as many blacks do. About 25.5 percent of Hispanics own computers, but 55 percent of Asian-Americans do. Asian families also are most likely to have Internet access, with 36 percent online.

The report also found a child in a low-income white family is three times more likely to have Internet access as a child in a comparable black family, and four times more likely than a Hispanic child.

Most troubling for government experts were indications these disparities can't be blamed solely on differences in income. Among families earning $15,000 to $35,000, for example, more than 33 percent of whites owned computers, but only 19 percent of blacks did. That gap has widened nearly 62 percent since 1994 despite plunging computer prices.

Mfume also announced a new national campaign that could involve lawsuits against entertainment industry giants to end the scarcity of black characters on television shows.

The newly formed NAACP Television & Film Industry Diversity Initiative will monitor how well the entertainment industry reflects America's multi-cultural base.

Aside from calling for congressional and Federal Communications Commission hearings on licensing and ownership of networks, the campaign could initiate lawsuits and boycotts of advertisers, Mfume said.

Using the dearth of minorities in upcoming fall shows as a touchstone, Mfume said the NAACP is studying whether or not to file suit against the four major networks for violating the Communications Act of 1934.

CBS President Leslie Moonves called the NAACP's concerns "relevant and extremely important." Moonves said in a statement that 11 of the network's 19 entertainment series broadcast this fall would have minority characters "in a primary role."

Network spokesman Chris Ender said one new show this fall, "Now and Again," a drama, would feature a black actor, Dennis Haysbert.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.