{"id":243069,"date":"2026-03-30T11:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=243069"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:14:25","slug":"uconns-dr-linda-barry-helps-lead-statewide-conversation-on-ai-equity-communities-of-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/03\/uconns-dr-linda-barry-helps-lead-statewide-conversation-on-ai-equity-communities-of-color\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn\u2019s Dr. Linda Barry Helps Lead Statewide Conversation on AI, Equity & Communities of Color"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 25 community leaders, policymakers, educators, and advocates from across Connecticut gathered for Bridging the Digital Divide: AI and Communities of Color\u2014Exploring Education, Access & Cultural Equity<\/em>, an AI Awareness Webinar hosted by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity (CWCSEO). The virtual forum focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, economic opportunity, and access to technology and what it will take to ensure that communities of color are not left behind.<\/p>\n

The webinar, part of CWCSEO\u2019s ongoing AI Awareness Series, explored four key areas: educational innovation through AI tools, career pipeline development in AI fields, community-driven solutions and grassroots initiatives, and breaking systemic barriers to technology access. Throughout the event, speakers emphasized that AI is not just a technological issue, but a question of equity, power, and opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Linda Barry of UConn School of Medicine and its UConn Health Disparities Institute<\/em> (Photo courtesy of HDI).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the featured panelists was UConn School of Medicine\u2019s Dr. Linda Barry, professor of surgery and public health sciences, associate director of the UConn Health Disparities Institute (HDI)<\/a>, and associate dean of the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs. Barry brought a health equity lens to the conversation, highlighting how AI can both mitigate and deepen disparities depending on how it is designed, governed, and deployed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI has enormous potential to expand access to information, care, and opportunity\u2014but only if we are intentional about equity from the start,\u201d Barry noted during the discussion. \u201cWhile I am not an engineer who codes, as an avid user and educator with lived and professional perspectives, I believe it is essential to be part of the conversation. When communities of color are excluded from the table, the tools that emerge often reproduce the very inequities they claim to solve.\u201d<\/p>\n

She underscored cultural humility as foundational to culturally responsive AI in education and health, noting the risks of biased data, opaque algorithms, and misaligned tools. Barry highlighted the importance of creating pathways for young people of color, particularly girls and underrepresented students, to pursue AI and technology careers while learning to use these tools responsibly. \u201cIf we want AI to work for our communities, our communities have to be in the room\u2014as creators, decision-makers, and beneficiaries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Barry\u2019s ongoing partnership with CWCSEO<\/strong><\/p>\n

CWCSEO Executive Director Melvette Hill emphasized how central Barry\u2019s leadership has been to the Commission\u2019s broader efforts to advance equitable AI in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Barry has been a steadfast partner in our work to make sure AI is developed and used in ways that honor the dignity, needs, and aspirations of communities of color,\u201d Hill said. \u201cShe consistently brings community voice, health equity, and a deep understanding of structural racism into conversations that might otherwise stay purely technical. Her ongoing contributions help us move from awareness to action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill noted that Barry\u2019s participation across multiple Commission initiatives has helped bridge the gap between policy, practice, and community experience especially at the intersections of health, education, and technology.<\/p>\n

AI, equity, and the future of opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the webinar, panelists discussed how AI is already shaping classroom experiences, hiring practices, and access to digital tools. They also highlighted community-driven strategies to ensure that AI supports, rather than undermines, educational equity and economic mobility.<\/p>\n

For Barry, these conversations are inseparable from broader efforts to advance health equity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talk about the digital divide, we are also talking about a health divide, an opportunity divide, and a power divide,\u201d she noted. \u201cMore substantive efforts are needed to definitively close the digital divide to ensure equitable access to all that AI has to offer. Access to technology, accurate information, and systems that are equitable and accountable is a determinant of health.\u201d<\/p>\n

A reflection on Dr. Barry\u2019s impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

HDI Director Dr. Linda Sprague Martinez reflected on the significance of Barry\u2019s role in this work.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Barry\u2019s contributions are invaluable to our collective efforts to advance health equity in Connecticut,\u201d Sprague Martinez said. \u201cShe brings community engagement to the center of every conversation, whether it\u2019s about AI, clinical care, or policy. Her leadership ensures that the people most affected by inequities are not only heard, but actively shaping the solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

CWCSEO AI Webinar Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chatbot Protections for Children and Older Adults
\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/q-YEP4iOqqE?feature=share<\/a><\/p>\n

Empowering Women in the AI Economy: Opportunity, Access & Small Business Support https:\/\/youtu.be\/BP_tE-xMCCI<\/a><\/p>\n

Bridging the Digital Divide – AI and Communities of Color: Exploring Education, Access & Cultural Equity
\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/VVinRoD7hv4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn Health Disparities experts at AI forum working to ensure that communities of color are not left behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":243072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1715,1868,179,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-243069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-impact","category-meds","category-uconn-health","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 04:06:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243069"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243076,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243069\/revisions\/243076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/243072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243069"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=243069"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=243069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}