Midterm 1 Review: Racial Ravine

What do the authors mean by the term “racial ravine”?

The racial ravine is a term from the first page of the article Social Capital and Cyberpower in the African-American Community. It is from a quote from the US Department of Commerce which said "'The digital divide has turnedinto a "racial ravine" when one looks at access among households of different races and ethnic origins.'" (Alkalimat, Williams, 177)

The digital divide is the gap between information communication technology (ICTs) haves and have nots. The Department of Commerce was getting at the fact that race is a strong determining factor in which side of the divide you fall on, seeing as it is linked to many other characteristics that could affect such an outcome including income, education, and location.