May 26
New Leadership for OneWebDay
I'm excited to let
everyone know I've taken on a new responsibility as Board Chair of OneWebDay. OneWebDay is an annual, global event
which is celebrated every September 22.
Much like Earth Day, which inspired it, OneWebDay provides an
opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of Web for positive change,
to take action to protect what is precious about it, and to educate the public
and policymakers on how the Web works.
The major news I have to
report is that OneWebDay has new institutional support, new leadership and a
new theme for 2009.
We have been awarded our
first major grant, which comes from the Ford Foundation. The
Foundation strives to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and
injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement The
Ford Foundation grant will enable OneWebDay to make a transition from being an
all-volunteer organization to having a paid Executive Director position.
As such I'm delighted to
announce that Nathaniel James has joined OneWebDay as its Executive
Director. Nathan comes to us from
the staff of the Media and Democracy Coalition and brings a unique blend of skills and
experiences as an organizer on communications policy.
As Board Chair, I will
provide strategic direction and lead the Board in developing a plan for
long-term growth. Nathan will
manage day-to-day business of OneWebDay, build and support our network of
volunteers, and develop our program plans for OneWebDay 2009. We would like the thank the Media and
Democracy Coalition for Nathan’s support leading up to the grant award, and we
hope to build on our relationship.
Every year, OneWebDay
focuses on a new theme. This
year’s theme is the promise of digital inclusion, and we will call attention to
efforts that work to ensure that anyone who wants it has access to the Internet
and the skills they need to engage in our new communications environment.
The fight for digital
inclusion is now on the cutting edge in the long struggle for social and
economic justice. Access to a
fast, affordable, and open Internet is essential for every child in school,
every entrepreneur with a new idea, and anyone who wants full access to our
government and the democratic process.
Here are a couple of
sobering facts:
The US has fallen to a
rank of 17th for broadband penetration. So on a good day we're competitive with
Latvia in broadband.
As recently as 2007, only
29% of households earning less than $35,000 had adopted broadband at home.
Thomas Jefferson once said
that he would prefer newspapers without government to government without
newspapers, but his following comment, while less known, is just as important:
“…every man (sic) should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them.”
Jefferson understood not
just the importance of news and information in a democratic society, but also
the needs of the whole citizenry and every community to be able to access that
information. We have much work to
do to achieve the Jeffersonian ideal.
One Web Day was founded by
Susan Crawford in 2006, who now advises President Obama on science, technology,
and innovation policy at the National Economic Council. We are proud to
continue building her legacy and enacting her vision.
To learn more, follow
OneWebDay on Twitter @OWD or send an email to njames (at) onewebday.org.
Comments (5)
May 27, 2009
said...
Congratulations on your new responsibility and congratulations to Nathniel James. OneWebDay is a significant effort and it is great news that it has received a Ford Foundation grant.
May 27, 2009
metasj said...
Good Jeffersonian insight for OWD. How can we make the day more global? Currently it focuses on only American stats.
May 30, 2009
Congratulations on this year's OWD theme. Being ISOC-IL e-Inclusion Consultant for the last 7 years I'd love to share our work concerning the development of e-citizen tutorial kits ( for seniors and adults ) in hebrew and arabic.
contact me: nava@isoc.org.il
contact me: nava@isoc.org.il
Jun 03, 2009
Pyrmontvicky said...
Congratulations to OWD and Nathan. Am sure OWD will just keep getting better every year. Put Sydney in your radar screen and would love to help.
Jun 04, 2009
Thanks for taking on this important role. Thanks to Susan Crawford for continuing to do important work as she switches her attention to working through her position in the U.S. government. Best wishes to Nathan. Imagining the Internet (www.imaginingtheinternet.org) will continue to support OWD.
Leave a comment...
To leave a comment on this posterous, please login by clicking one of the following.
