Celebrate Black History Month!

In celebration of Black History Month, in addition to our weekly prompts to Get Outside, every Wednesday in February, we will be exploring the history of 4-H and Black History.

4-H and Black History

When 4-H became a nation-wide program in 1914, programs for black and white youth were segregated. In fact, in many states 4-H programs for black youth started years, sometimes even as much as decade, after programs for white youth. Although 4-H programs for black and white youth were similar in scope, funding and support for 4-H programs for black youth was usually much less than that for white youth.

Despite these inequalities, 4-H programming for black youth took off in the the first half of the 20^th century. Throughout the south, these programs were run by historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) like Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T College, and South Carolina State College.

Black and white photo of three young black girls standing behing a table with canning jars and what appears to be a pressure canner — *4-H canning demonstration, North Carolina (circa 1920-1929)*

In North Carolina, 4-H clubs for black youth started in 1915 and by 1936 included over 10,000 boys and girls. By 1945 these numbers had almost tripled to include over 29,000 youth. Despite a steady increase in black youth membership, North Carolina lacked a camp dedicated specifically for black youth, so in 1950 a foundation was established to raise money for such a camp. The fund successfully raised enough money and in 1955, the J.W. Mitchell camp was established for black 4-H youth throughout the state.

In Florida, 4-H programs for black youth started slowly in 1915 including on four of the states 67 counties. The program slowly grew to include more and more counties. The boys were involved in corn, potato, pig, and savings clubs while the girls were involved in canning, improvement, poultry, dairy, sanitation, and savings clubs.

Black and white photograph - Two black girls stand at atable making 'milk drinks' such as those on the recipe boards in front of their table - banna milk shake, grape shake, orange nog, strawberry cocktail. — *4-H milk drink demonstration*

As in North Carolina, for many years, Florida lacked a 4-H camp for black youth, but after persistent lobbying, in 1948 Florida established Camp Doe Lake, its first permanent 4-H camp for black youth. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 4-H camps in Florida desegregated and Camp Doe Lake began serving youth of all races and continued to do so until it closed its doors in 1972.

In Kentucky, 4-H programming didn’t start for black youth until 1920. In the 1930s efforts were made to increase participation of black youth which included hosting 60 youth for the first 4-H Rural Youth Conference the HBCU Kentucky State College. Numbers of black 4-H members continued to grow in the 1940s when black 4-H youth attended ‘State Camp’ at various locations around the state.

Not only did each state have its own 4-H program for black youth, but there were also regional events that brought black youth from various states together. In 1927, 20 black 4-H youth from Florida attended the interstate meeting of the Southern Negro Boys and Girls 4-H Camp in Tuskegee, Alabama and in 1948 Florida’s 4-H program for black youth sent three boys and three girls to the first Negro camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1948 six black 4-H’ers from Kentucky also attended a regional camp in Louisiana.

American Negro Exposition – Chicago 1940

Black and white photograph of two black girls. One is setting the table while the other uses a pointer to point to a poster. — *Youth lead a 4-H nutrition demonstration*

In 1940, Chicago hosted the American Negro Exposition to celebrated the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The exposition sought to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans since the end of the Civil War. The exposition featured black Extension Agents and 4-H members from eleven southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Black youth participated in demonstrations including sewing, canning, raising chickens and hogs, and peanut farming.

Black and white photo of two black teenage boys holding long sticks above a homemade mattress on a bed frame. — *Columbus Meadows and Arthur Johnson fluff a mattress during 4-H mattress making demonstration*

Two 17 year old 4-H youth from Milstead, Alabama, Columbus Meadows and Arthur J. Johnson, attended the exposition. They were both involved in 4-H Agricultural Programs. In the early days of 4-H, Agricultural Agents introduced new seed varieties and new farming techniques to 4-H youth. Youth would grow an acre of corn, cotton, potatoes, etc. using the new seed and/or the new techniques. If they were successful and showed an improved yield, then their parents would be more willing to adopt these new seed varieties and/or new techniques. Meadows was one of ten children and lived with his family on a 30-acre rented farm. Meadows had hopes of becoming a farmer and through 4-H, he grew an acre of corn to feed his pig, which he hoped to grow into a brood sow. Johnson belonged to the 70 member Cotton Valley 4-H Club. Him and his family lived on farm with 80-acres under cultivation. During his two year in 4-H he worked on poultry, swine, corn and peanut projects. The year of the exposition he grew two acres of ‘Hastings’ Prolific’ corn and an acre of peanuts.

Now called Chicago’s Forgotten World’s Fair, the American Negro Exposition, for those who attended it was a grand display of the many achievements and contributions of Black Americans in all realms of life in the United States.

For all of the obstacles faced by black youth throughout the history of this county, 4-H has had a positive influence on many of the black youth and adults who have participated in its programs. Join us next week as we glance at some of those people with whom 4-H has made a positive impact on their lives.