Technology tools such as laptops are the kind of help that we

Major Owens, a man devoted to justice and the upliftment of his people, once declared: “Technology tools such as laptops are the kind of help that we need. A program that provides laptops for all youngsters would close a gap that most of us are not aware of, or will not admit to, which is a tremendous gap in the poor communities.” In these words he unveils a truth both sobering and urgent: that the digital divide is no small inconvenience but a great chasm separating the children of privilege from the children of poverty. And in this age, when knowledge flows through machines, to lack such a tool is to be silenced, to be left behind.

The origin of this reflection comes from Owens’ lifelong service as a U.S. congressman representing Brooklyn, where he witnessed firsthand the struggles of disadvantaged communities. He understood that education was the ladder out of poverty, but also that the rungs of that ladder were increasingly digital. In a time when schools and families of wealth filled their homes with laptops, computers, and internet access, the poor were left with empty desks and quiet libraries, unable to participate in the new age of learning. Thus he spoke not merely of machines, but of the need for equity in the very tools that shape the future.

History itself bears witness to this principle. When Gutenberg’s printing press brought books to the masses, literacy spread, and the common man gained a voice. But those who remained without access to printed words were left in the shadows. The pattern has always been the same: whether it was books, radios, or schools, those denied the tools of knowledge were denied the path to power. Owens’ cry for laptops is but the modern echo of this eternal struggle—to ensure that the blessings of progress are not hoarded, but shared with the many.

His words also pierce through the denial of society. For he speaks of a gap “most of us are not aware of, or will not admit to.” It is easy for the privileged to imagine that opportunity is equal, that any child with willpower may succeed. Yet the truth is harsher: the child without access to technology is fighting with bare hands in a battlefield of machines. Owens demands that this blindness be broken, that society confront the hidden inequality that silently dictates futures before children even reach adulthood.

There is also within his words a profound hope. For he does not see the problem as insurmountable; he sees the solution clearly: laptops in the hands of every child. With this tool, the gap could be closed, the poor lifted, the voices long silenced given strength. A simple program, born of vision and generosity, could alter destinies. This is the power of technology rightly directed—not as a luxury for the few, but as a bridge for the many.

The lesson for us, then, is this: equity in tools creates equity in opportunity. Do not think that charity alone will lift the poor—give them the instruments of empowerment. In this age, that means access to technology, to training, to connection. The young must not be divided by the presence or absence of a laptop, for in that division lies the shaping of tomorrow’s rich and tomorrow’s poor.

Practical wisdom flows from Owens’ teaching. Advocate for programs that put devices and internet access into underserved schools. Donate not only money, but tools that enable growth. As parents, teachers, and citizens, recognize that giving a child access to technology is not indulgence—it is survival, it is empowerment, it is justice. And as individuals, mentor and guide those who step into this digital realm for the first time, so that they may walk with confidence.

Thus let Major Owens’ words be carried forward as a call to action: if we would see a just society, let us close the digital gap. For no community should be left in darkness while others stand in light. The tools of this age must not become chains of division, but bridges of opportunity. And only when every child, rich or poor, holds in their hands the same instrument of learning will the promise of equality ring true.