The internet is the commons of our day. People live, work and play online. How we access the internet — and its quality and speed — is incredibly unequal. Broadband access across the nation is uneven and there’s a significant digital divide that falls along gendered lines. Women — especially women of color — and LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be harassed and bullied online.

Join The 19th for a conversation about what it will take to create a more equitable internet for all, with people who are thinking deeply about how to make the internet a better and safer place.

👉 Click RSVP NOW and let us know what questions you have for our panelists.

Keynote | On digital equity 11:105 a.m. ET

A major proponent of the digital equity act -- which was included in the infrastructure package -- talks about broadband investment and how to bridge the digital divides that impact rural and underserved communities.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Democrat, Minnesota

Moderator: Amanda Becker, Washington Correspondent, The 19th

One-on-One | Lowering barriers to interacting online for those with disabilities 11:35 a.m. ET

Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft

Moderator: Sara Luterman, Caregiving Reporter,The 19th

Keynote | When the internet is unsafe 12:05 p.m. ET

Monica Lewinsky called herself “patient zero of having a reputation completely destroyed worldwide because of the internet.”  Now she is focused on educating others, and speaking out about public shaming and cyberbullying.

Moderator: Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large, The 19th

Panel | When tech is the problem 12:35 p.m. ET

Every day people use apps and platforms that are built on algorithms and AI created by imperfect people. Time and time again they are proven to be faulty at best and biased at worst. The leading researchers thinking about the internet and its problems come together to have a conversation about how to make it better for everyone.

Meredith D. Clark, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Northeastern University

Sasha Costanza-Chock, Ph.D., Director of Research and Design, Algorithmic Justice League

Safiya Umoja Noble, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA

Joy Lisi Rankin, Ph.D. Research Lead , The AI Now Institute at NYU

Hands on | How you can protect yourself online 1:10 p.m. ET

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) leads a practical session on how to protect yourself online

Ela Stapley, Digital Security Adviser, IWMF

Moderator: Candice Norwood, Reporter, The 19th

One-on-one | Building an online brand 1:40 p.m. ET

Joanne Lee Molinaro, Attorney and Blogger, “Korean Vegan”

Moderator: Sereena Henderson, Community Manager, The 19th

All events from The 19th contain professional captioning. While we hope you can watch this event with us live, a video recording will also be available right after the original stream. Just RSVP for access.

Note: our sponsors play no part in the selection of our event participants or programming.

The 19th is an independent nonprofit newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. We aim to empower women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community with the information, community and tools they need to be equal participants in our democracy. The 19th aims to level the playing field with:

Free-to-consume and free-to-republish journalism that reimagines politics and policy coverage through a gender lens

Deep-dive, evidence-based reporting that exposes gender inequity and injustice, and reveals surprising and original stories on the issues that most deeply affect our readers’ lives, from health care to the economy

A newsroom that reflects the nation’s diversity, and is devoted to covering all people with empathy

A digital platform for civil conversations and community building, and national events that bring our readers into direct contact with their elected officials

The 19th aims to be a home for all people affected by the issues we cover. To that end, all members of our community are expected to observe our community guidelines when engaging on our website, newsletters, social channels, events or other platforms.

Learn how you can support our nonprofit newsroom here.

The 19th's virtual events aim to bring women and people marginalized based on their gender together with elected officials, experts and community leaders to discuss issues at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. Visit 19thnews.org/subscribe to receive invitations for future 19th events.

The 19th Represents: Building a more equitable internet