Bridget Todd (00:04):

There Are No Girls on the Internet is a production of iHeartRadio and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet.

Bridget Todd (00:17):

So in true nerd fashion, I have a birthday on Pi Day, this weekend, on March 14th. And to celebrate, I wanted to honor one of my heroes, a fellow [inaudible 00:00:26]. You might've seen her story in a Super Bowl commercial in 2015. Miss Estella spent 50 years in public education, serving low income kids at a Title I school.

Bridget Todd (00:37):

Now while teaching, she saw that many of her kids couldn't always do their assignments because they didn't have access to a computer or reliable internet at home. So she created Estella's Brilliant Bus to bring the computers to them.

Miss Estella (00:50):

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. But we use the bus to provide the technology to accomplish the mission that we set out to do in the communities.

Bridget Todd (01:46):

After retiring in her '70s, Miss Estella 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.

Miss Estella (01:57):

Knowing that I was getting older and I was pretty much, I would say, well over 71, 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 all the people in New Orleans and other places, it sharpened my idea about going out into 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."

Bridget Todd (02:48):

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.

Miss Estella (03:11):

I figured if I could create a project that I could take out in the community. Because we knew that this was the 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 serve, the children that attended the Title I school was missing at home, the technologies.

Bridget Todd (03:45):

Miss Estella was relentless. And she also dreamed big.

Bridget Todd (03:48):

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.

Miss Estella (03:57):

So in putting my ideas together, the first thing I asked myself, "How can I provide technology to these underserved communities?" And after thinking about it a while, I knew that the van 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.

Miss Estella (04:26):

So I decided, after thinking about it, what is it that I will be comfortable with, knowing that I didn't have a lot of money. And how can I make it work? Because I was of the failure is not an option mindset. So I knew what I was going to do had to be successful. Because failure was not an option.

Miss Estella (04:52):

So I thought about the van and I ruled that out. I thought about a semi truck. And I said, "I can't drive that [inaudible 00:05:02] went out during my lifetime.

Miss Estella (05:05):

But then, the bus came up. I said, "Now if I use 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. He 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.

Miss Estella (05:41):

So I grabbed some paper and pencil and started drawing and 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 off the paper and put it into reality.

Bridget Todd (06:07):

I didn't know that you actually drive the bus yourself. My goodness!

Miss Estella (06:12):

Yes. I learned 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 the bus. But I had 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, at my age, that I could drive that bus.

Bridget Todd (06:44):

Do you mind me asking how old you are? You don't have to say, if you don't want to.

Miss Estella (06:49):

No. I'm 84.

Bridget Todd (06:50):

It was Miss Estella's father who instilled in her the importance of helping others and sharing with your community, even if you didn't have a lot.

Miss Estella (06:57):

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 kindhearted man who really enjoyed giving and helping people, even though he was a poor man. And he would travel up north, leaving Florida during the month of May, mid-May. And sometimes come, we would come back in October. Because if you don't have any skills, then you have to do unskilled laboring jobs. And that was what was going on with my parents. Neither one of them ever finished elementary school so they didn't have skills. But they were very smart and hard-working people.

Bridget Todd (08:02):

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 a low expectations.

Miss Estella (08:11):

We lived in a government project. And if you have seen the documentary Harvest of Shame by Edward Murrow, when they predicted that we probably wouldn't ever get out of that project. We were 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 in 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.

Miss Estella (09:06):

Now in the project where I lived, it was the ideal of, it takes a village to raise a child. And all of us were poor. Most of our parents were working far way 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 would give us some bread and cheese or bread and mayonnaise or bread and peanut butter. So it was one of those things where the village actually helped raise the child. And we learned to share whatever we had, whatever resources that we had. So we just grew up with that mentality.

Bridget Todd (10:03):

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?

Miss Estella (10:13):

I'm sure it had 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.

Bridget Todd (10:30):

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.

Bridget Todd (10:51):

To combat this, Miss 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.

Bridget Todd (11:03):

But then, COVID hit. And now, her bus is in park.

Miss Estella (11:08):

We would go take the bus and go into communities. We work with churches, community centers, schools, and county organizations. And we would just schedule activities. And we would go out in the community to make things happen. It was no problem.

Miss Estella (11:30):

When COVID came along, everybody was afraid of everybody. So businesses were shutting down. People were afraid of their children and other family members. And of course, they were dying. So we adhered to what the community was doing. When they shut down businesses, we parked the bus. And now, I have two buses now. And we would take these kids cross 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 cross country, to get more exposure. Because many of the kids who live in those low income communities, they don't get to go to town, so to 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 goes along with it.

Miss Estella (12:38):

So three years in a row, I was very successful in taking the kids across the country for 10 or 12 days, giving them exposure, and not having to charge them one cent. And then, we were able to expose them to technology and address the summer slide. But this past July, we did not [inaudible 00:13:04], of going into or involved with COVID.

Miss Estella (13:08):

So again, we didn't want to be responsible for exposing kids to 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 here and 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.

Bridget Todd (13:46):

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.

Bridget Todd (14:09):

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.

Bridget Todd (14:32):

Miss 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?

Miss Estella (14:56):

Don't let age interfere with your dreams is one thing. And the other thing is, if you can believe it and willing to work, you can achieve it.

Bridget Todd (15:08):

I so appreciate it. I appreciate you. I appreciate all that you do. Miss Estella, you are an icon, friend of Oprah Winfrey.

Miss Estella (15:18):

Yes. And she wrote the forward in my book.

Bridget Todd (15:22):

Oh, my goodness. My goodness.

Miss Estella (15:24):

I have a book out there that's called The Legacy of a Humble Black Woman, from Field to Factory to Estella's Brilliant Bus. It's on the website, too.

Bridget Todd (15:35):

For my birthday, I hope you'll consider supporting Miss Estella's vision for the future by making a donation to Estella's Brilliant Bus, if you're able. Go to tangoti.com/bus to donate. That's tangoti, T-A-N-G-O-T-I, .com/bus. If you're moved by Miss Estella's story and want to donate but aren't in a position to do so right now, hit me up at hello@tangoti.com and we'll donate in your honor.

Bridget Todd (15:59):

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.

Bridget Todd (16:08):

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.

Miss Estella (16:28):

And at 84, I'm still doing everything that I can do. Make a difference during the time that I'm here.

Bridget Todd (16:37):

Got a story about an interesting thing in tech? Or just want to say hi? You can reach us at hello@tangoti.com. You can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangoti.com.

Bridget Todd (16:46):

There Are No Girls on the Internet was created by me, Bridget Todd. It's a production of iHeartRadio 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.

Bridget Todd (17:00):

If you want to help us grow, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.