Quello Talk: Digital Equity Ecosystems: How Community Coalitions Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Democracy

Colin Rhinesmith, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026 at 11 AM ET

Via Zoom – Registration: https://tinyurl.com/47ukftct

Digital Equity Ecosystems introduces readers to the groundswell of community coalitions that work to alleviate technological inequity and social injustice. Through a comprehensive review of theories and concepts across the fields of information, communication, technology, and public health studies, Colin Rhinesmith reveals how the digital equity ecosystems framework is essential for addressing urgent digital inequalities. Investigating five original case studies of digital equity ecosystems across the United States, Rhinesmith shows how community coalitions serve as vital infrastructure to tackle digital inequality and strengthen democracy. By focusing on these ecosystems as sites for community engagement, civic participation, and social justice organizing, this book helps us make sense of the current moment, arguing that it is crucial to bridge both the digital divide and other social divides more broadly at a time when democracies are in decline worldwide.

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