Celebrating Black History in Extension!
go.ncsu.edu/readext?652902
en Español
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲
“Black Agricultural Extension agent measuring corn from black farmer’s yield”, UA023.007, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
February is Black History Month! This is a time to celebrate the strides and accomplishments made by African Americans all over our country. Even within Cooperative Extension, we celebrate African Americans in their contributions to work in Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H. Here are some of the first earliest agents within North Carolina who paved the way.
Neil Alexander Bailey – Bailey was the first African American agricultural agent in the state of North Carolina. A graduate from the A&T State College in 1908 (Currently N.C. A&T State University), he served Guilford, Rockingham, and Randolph counties as an agricultural agent from 1910 to 1915. Most notably known for helping increase corn yield production through demonstrations.
“Demonstration agent in kitchen of African American demonstration home, 1956”, ua100.099, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Sarah Williams and Dazelle Foster Lowe were some of the first African American home demonstration agents to be hired through federal World War I emergency funding. Williams was hired with 6 other agents in 1922, with Lowe being hired the following year. Their goals were to help African American women be sustainable in knowing how to plant vegetable gardens and preserve those foods through canning. Lowe would later become the supervisor of all African American home demonstration agents in the state.
Last, John D. Wray, was hired in 1915 as the first African American state club agent for African American clubs. With his work, African American clubs were able to hold their first county camp and district short course in Beaufort County in 1924. Later the population of African American club members would swell to 10,000 by 1936.
FCS Agents Lois Hunley (Left) and Jeannette Sherrod (Right)
As North Carolina Cooperative Extension continues to pave the way with innovation and education to support the community, we hope to continue to celebrate African Americans in extension and their contribution to black history, our country, and the world.
References:
“Bailey, Neil Alexander” – NCPedia
Photos credited to: