Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 4-H
Town Hall about 4-H, Racism, and Inequity
Recent social movements have brought racism and inequity to the forefront, and many of you are interested in this topic. All are invited to a Town Hall event to hear the goals of 4-H on this issue and contribute your feedback and ideas.
August 6, 2020
Recording of the Town Hall: https://youtu.be/90huN-lrPBw
NIFA page referred to in Town Hall: https://nifa.usda.gov/civil-rights-equal-employment-opportunity
Related statements from our parent institution and organizations:
● The Voices We Need to Hear Right Now: Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of National 4-H Council
● Extension Committee on Policy 4-H Leadership Committee, Resolution and Commitment to the Deconstruction of Systemic Racism within the 4-H Program
● Recent Tragedies a Call for Self-Examination: Kirk Schultz, President of WSU
● Reaffirming Support and Justice for Our Peers of Color: André-Denis Wright, Dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
● Racism and Justice: Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive
National 4-H Vision
A world in which youth and adults learn, grow, and work together as catalysts for positive change.
4-H Grows: A Promise to America’s Kids
In 2025, 4-H will reflect the population demographics, vulnerable populations, diverse needs, and social conditions of the country. This vision has the elements of inclusion,
caring adults, serving at minimum 1 in 5 youth, and the volunteers and staff
reflect the diversity of the population.
National 4-H Mission
4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential working and learning in partnership with caring adults. The mission of 4-H is to provide meaningful opportunities for all youth and adults to work together to create sustainable community change. This is accomplished within three primary content areas, or mission areas—civic engagement and leadership, healthy living, and science.
Get Involved
Join or support a
WSU / 4-H-led effort:
● Facing Racism: A project that supports civil dialogue about race relations in a diverse nation–upcoming opportunities for adults and teens to join a discussion and action group. Contact Michael Wallace (mlwallace@wsu.edu), 4-H’s project lead, for details.
● True Leaders in Equity: A state and national leadership opportunity for teens ages 15-19 to develop the skills, competences, and connections they need to carry out equity projects in their home county and state.
● WA State 4-H Teen Equity & Inclusion Task Force: A statewide leadership opportunity for teens ages 14-19 to explore, create, and promote change in support of 4-H youth.
● WA 4-H Equity & Inclusion Committee: 4-H volunteers, parents, and teens are invited to join the committee’s review and resource team to share ideas and effort in support of positive change. Contact Alison White (alison.white@wsu.edu), committee chair, for details.
● Snohomish County 4-H Youth Advisory Council: A chance for youth voices to be heard as faculty and staff work to create meaningful opportunities for youth leadership. Contact Kim Baker (kim.baker@wsu.edu) for meeting dates and information.
Lead or support a 4-H project related to cultural awareness, belonging, or social justice:
● 4-H Diversity & Inclusion projects: Project resources include youth-led service-learning, global youth citizenship, exploring diversity, learning about culture through food, ¡Qué Rico! La Cultura, and more.
● 4-H Social Justice Youth Development: A guide for 4-H educators, program staff, and volunteers to spark conversations, awareness, and youth-led projects.
● Be SAFE (Safe, Affirming & Fair Environments): A guide designed to help youth ages 11-14 and adults work in partnership to create SAFE environments.
● 4-H Youth-led Community Conversations: A program idea from Kansas State 4-H to encourage civil discourse around difficult topics.
Resources You Can Use
Talking about racism and other difficult topics with youth:
● Talking About Race: A resource for parents, caregivers, and educators from Smithsonian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
● Talking Race with Youth Children: A 20-minute podcast from Life Kit, a partnership between Sesame Street and NPR.
● Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events: Anti-Defamation League
● Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop: A discussion for parents facilitated by Common Sense Media.
● Talking to Youth About Racism and Violence: List of educational resources from Sprockets.
●Talking with Youth About Race: Podcasts from Univ. of MN Extension
Books for youth and families:
● Wee Read Diverse Books: Picture books for youth feature youth of color, diverse characters, or storylines about identity and experiences.
● Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: A Common Sense Media list of books for youth ages 2-13+ that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture, history, stories, and universal human values.
● Books featuring Native American Youth: A Common Sense Media list of books for youth ages 2-13+ that demonstrate an appreciation of Native American culture, history, and stories.
● Books featuring Latino Youth: A Common Sense Media list of books for youth ages 2-13+ that reflect the Latino experience in various national and cultural contexts.
● “These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids”: New York Times
● White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism: Robin Diangelo
● Privilege, Power, and Difference. By Allan Johnson
Other related resources:
● National 4-H Council Equity Toolkit: Resources on topics related to diversity, inclusion, and equity to support learning, celebrate belonging, and create access.
● eXtension’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion site: A professional development offering of the eXtension Foundation Impact Collaborative; a resource primarily designed for 4-H staff but full of resources and lesson plans which are available to all.
● EmbraceRace: A non-profit dedicated to helping parents, educators, and other adults in the lives of children to raise children who are thoughtful, informed, and brave about race–to raise children to become the adults that a thriving, multiracial democracy needs.
● WA State 4-H Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources: A list of resources regarding equity and inclusion, immigrants and new Americans, LGBTQ+ youth, race and ethnicity, religion, special needs, and socioeconomics.
● National 4-H Strategic Plan: An outline of the guiding principles and committed to access, equity, and belonging as the base of all 4-H strategies.
● Snohomish County 4-H Strategic Plan: Outline of strategies for Snohomish County 4-H, including goals focused on diversity and inclusion education, training, and improvements.
Race and COVID-19
“Racial Health Inequities: The COVID-19 Disaster Was Decades in the Making”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…amp;feature=youtu.be
(Dr. Heather Orom, PhD, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions.)
If you require any documents linked on this page in a different format, please contact our office at 425-357-6044 or snoco.4h@wsu.edu .