There Are No Girls on the Internet - How Estella’s Brilliant Bus is bridging the digital divide + Bridget’s Birthday

Episode Date: March 13, 2021

To celebrate her birthday, Bridget honors one of her tech heroes, Estella Pyfrom, who brings technology to communities who need it most with Estella’s Brilliant Bus.IN HONOR OF BRIDGET’S BIRTHDAY, PLEASE DONATE TO ESTELLA’S BRILLIANT BUS: TANGOTI.COM/BUSIf you’re moved by Estella’s story but can’t donate at this time, we’d love to donate in your honor! Hit us up at [e-mail] more about Estella’s Brilliant Bus: http://estellasbrilliantbus.org/Watch Estella’s Super Bowl ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVNodM0F5gU Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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844-844-I-Hart. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There are No Girls on the Internet as a production of IHeart Radio. and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd, and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet. So in true nerd fashion, I have a birthday on Pye Day this weekend on March 14th. And to celebrate, I wanted to honor one of my heroes, Estella PiFrome.

You might have seen her story in a Super Bowl commercial in 2015. Mrs. Stella spent 50 years in public education, serving low-income kids in a Title I school. Now, while teaching, she saw that many of her kids couldn't always do their assignments because they didn't have that. access to a computer or reliable internet at home. So she created Estella's Brilliant Bus to bring the computers to them. My name is Estella. I'm the owner, the creator, and founder of Estella's Brilliant Bus. Estella's Brilliant Bus is a mobile learning center where we provide education and technology

for underserved communities, to children in underserved communities. And that's what we've been doing since we started, but realizing that the children have other siblings and other relatives that need our service. We have expanded our service to include not just children but adults in underserved communities. That's what the brilliant bus is all about. It's not just a tech center. It's a learning center. when we use the bus to provide the technology to accomplish the mission that we set out to do in the communities. After retiring in her 70s, Mrs. Stella spent her life savings on a bus that she turned into a mobile learning center to help bridge the digital divide

and help bring technology to the communities who need it most. Knowing that I was getting older and I was pretty much, I would say, well over 7 to 1, I knew that if I was going to do anything other than work at the school, I needed to look at what that option might be. And when the hurricane devastated other people in New Orleans and other places, it sharpened my idea about going out in the communities and doing something that I thought would be worthwhile. I had the idea of creating something to take out in the community, but put it on hold because I wasn't really sure what I was going to do. But after that hurricane, I thought about this is it. According to Pew, a quarter of lower-income teens don't have access to a home computer. And one quarter of black youth said they often or sometimes can't do their homework assignments because they don't have a reliable internet access or a computer.

compare that to just 13% of white youth. This is sometimes called the digital divide, and it presents a big barrier to kids in all communities being able to succeed. I figured if I could create a project that I could take out in the community because we knew that this was age of technology. And I knew from working with Title I schools that there was that digital divide.

So I wanted to keep that going. because I know as far as our communities are concerned, that we served the children that attended the Title I school was missing at home the technology. Mrs. Stella was relentless, and she also dreamed big. Her first thought was to use her old minivan, and she even toyed with the idea of trying to get her hands on a semi-truck to turn that into a mobile computer lab.

So in putting my ideas together, The first thing I asked myself, how can I provide technology to these underserved communities? And I've been thinking about it a while. I knew that the band that I had would not be enough because it was just not big enough to serve more than four or five children at one time, if that many. So I decided after thinking about it, what is it that I would be comfortable with knowing that I didn't have a lot of money. But how can I make it work? Because I was of the failure that's not an option mindset.

So I knew what I was going to do had to be successful because failure was not an option. So I thought about the man and I ruled that out. I thought about a semi-truck and I said I can't drive that. I only back went out during my lifetime. But then the bus came up. I said that I used a bus. I have a lot more space. And of course I can drive a bus because I learned to drive a bus during my childhood

because my daddy had no boys. had six girls, and I was the only girl that was brave enough to learn how to drive the truck and the bus. So I figured I could save some money if I used a bus, because that was something that I could drive when I needed. So I grabbed some paper and a pencil, sketched out of drawing, figured out what I wanted to do. and started working on it. And it was an idea that I put together on paper, and then I was successful in lifting that idea of the paper and put it into reality.

I didn't know that you actually drive the bus yourself. My goodness. Yes, I'm going to drive the bus. And when we first got started, I drove the bus. and most of those videos that's on the website or on YouTube, they didn't believe I could drive the bus either. They all made me drive the bus. You see me driving.

I'm driving the bus. But I have someone to help me drive the bus. The producers didn't want that. They wanted me to drive the bus. I guess to prove that my age that I could drive that bus. Do you mind me asking how old you are? You don't have to say if you don't want to. you. No, I'm 84. It was Mrs. Stella's father who instilled in her the importance of helping others

and sharing with your community, even if you didn't have a lot. My father was a migrant contractor, and we traveled from Florida to New York for 19 years to harvest produce, picking beans, corn, potatoes, and things of that sort. And my dad was a very, very, very, very, very, and food. And my dad was a very, very kind-hearted man who really enjoyed giving and helping people, even though he was a poor man. And we would travel up north, leaving Florida during the month of May, mid-May, and sometime come, we will come back in October. Because if you don't have any skills, then you have to do something. unskilled laboring jobs.

And that was what was going on with my parents. Neither one of them ever finished elementary schools. So they didn't have skills, but they were very smart and hardworking people. Growing up poor in a government housing project, Miss Estella knew that not much was expected of her. But the power of community helped her subvert those low expectations. We lived in a government project. and if you have seen the documentary

harvest of shame by Edward Palomorrow when they predicted that we probably would ever get out of that project. You would just stuck there for life. And that less than 30% of us would ever get out of there. And a smaller percentage of us would probably not make it to college because we will be stuck in that rut and that government project. But I'm proud to say that many of us who went to school out there,

graduated from high school, went to college, and obtained advanced degrees. Now, in the project where I lived, it was the ideal of, it takes a business, village to raise a child. And all of us were poor, most of our parents were working far away in the fields. But there was always someone home in that project during that day. And they would look out for each other. If we got hungry during the day, we could go to that neighbor's house. And they'd give us some bread and cheese or bread.

and mayonnaise or bread and peanut butter. So it's one of those things where the village actually helped raise a child. And we learned to share whatever we had, whatever resources that we had. So we just grew up with that mentality. Do you feel that that's why you're inspired to give back to the kids in your community with the bus to make sure that they have the same kind of village that helped raise you and your sisters? I'm sure it has something to do with that. And that experience is, I think, what transformed me into the person who I am today, giving and sharing with other people who need us the most.

Now, summers can worsen the divide between low-income kids and kids whose families can afford things like summer camp. The learning loss that students sometimes experience when they're out for summer break is sometimes called the summer slide. and a John Hopkins study found that by ninth grade, the summer slide makes up for two-thirds of the reading achievement gap between low-income kids and middle-income kids. To combat this, Ms. Estella spent her summers taking kids on educational trips in her bus. She self-financed them,

looking for deals on hotels and meals, so the trips wouldn't cost the families a dime. But then, COVID hit. And now her bus is in park. We would go take the bus and go into communities. We had worked with churches, community centers, schools, and county organizations, and we would just schedule our activities, and we would go out in the community

and make things happen. There was no problem. When COVID came along, everybody was afraid of everybody, so business was shutting down. people were afraid of their children and other family members, and of course, you know, they were dying. So we adhered to what the community was doing. When they shut down businesses, we parked the bus. And now we have two buses now,

and we would take these kids across the country to travel the Freedom Trail and also get more exposure to technology, education and technology and we would get on the road for 10 or 12 days with 100 teenagers going across country to get more exposure because many of the kids who live in those little communities they don't get to go to town so they speak because sometimes their parents can't afford to take them many of them are working or they just can't afford the other expense that go along with it.

So three years in a row, I was very successful in taking the kids across the country for 10 or 12 days giving them the exposure and not having to charge them one cent. And then we were able to expose them through technology and address the summer slide. But this past July, we did not, because we were right of going. into are involved with COVID. So again, we didn't want to be responsible for exposing kids through COVID because they're just learning a little bit more about it. But they didn't know anything about it.

They didn't know very much, I would say, about it. So we just decided we'll just stay in, close up like the other businesses until they find out more how to keep people, and I'm talking about adults and their children, safe from the coronavirus. COVID has only shown how important it is for all kids to have access to technology. If low-income kids didn't have computers or reliable internet at home before, how are they supposed to keep up with remote learning during COVID? Pew actually found that one in five parents with kids at home because of COVID say it is very or somewhat likely that their kids won't be able to complete schoolwork because they don't have access to a computer or internet.

It's so important to support community leaders like Miss Estella, who won't let a generation of kids get left behind because of their economic circumstances. In Miss Estella's community, they looked after little ones like a village, sharing what little they had with one another. She's a living legend, and her work and legacy is a testament to the fact that anyone can make a lasting difference. Ms. Estella, what a life you have lived. What an inspiration? What do you want to say if somebody is out there and they think, gosh, I want to make a difference, but I don't know what I can do. What's your message to them? Because you've made, you're one woman and you've made such a big difference on your community. What is your message to other people who might be listening who

want to do what you're doing and make a difference in their communities? Don't let age is one thing. And the other thing is if you can believe it and willing to work, you can achieve it. I so appreciate it. I appreciate you. I appreciate all that you do. Miss Estella, you are an icon friend of Oprah Winfrey. Yes, and she wrote the forward in my book. Oh, my goodness. I have a book out there that's called The Legacy of a Humble Black. woman, from fear to factory to Estella's brilliant bus. It's on the website, too. For my birthday, I hope you'll consider supporting Ms. Estella's vision for the future by making a donation to Estella's brilliant bus if you're able.

Go to tangoody.com slash bus to donate. That's tangoity, t-a-n-g-g-i.com slash bus. If you're moved by Ms. Acela's story and want to donate but aren't in a position to do so right now, hit me up at hello at tangoody.com and we'll donate in your honor. We keep us safe and we keep us strong. So let's all keep striving to be the change we want for our communities, just like Miss Estella. You are a living legend, such an inspiration to me personally. When I saw your Super Bowl ad, I cried.

Before we spoke today, I watched it again and I had the same feeling. There's just something so beautiful about what you've done for your community. so I'm so very grateful for you. And at 84, I'm still doing everything that I could do to make a difference during the time that I'm here. Got a story about an interesting thing in tech or just want to say hi? You can reach us at hello at tangoody.com.

You can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangooty.com. There are no girls on the internet was created by me, Bridget Todd. It's a production of IHeart Radio and Unbossed Creative. Jonathan Strickland is our executive producer. Tari Harrison is our producer and sound engineer. Michael Amato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, Bridget Todd.

If you want to help us grow, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, check out the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Life is full of hurdles, so how do you keep going? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions, about the challenges that shape them

and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the big. biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife 12 in the TikTok podcast network

on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast.

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