contributed by Josh Hager . Current visitors to D. H. Hill Jr. will no doubt notice our new exhibit about the history of the 4-H Youth Development Organization, spotlighting its important role at NC State. We are also currently commemorating Black History Month; an exhibit is to be installed soon concerning the history of African-Americans at NC State. Coincidentally, we have found a photograph and an event recorded in the records of the Cooperative Extension Service (UA 050.004) that connects 4-H with local African-American history. On August 7-9, 1992, Raleigh hosted the Fifth Annual “I Have a Dream” National Youth Assembly, sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission and the Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the sponsoring agency over 4-H. The purpose of the gathering was, in the words of Coretta Scott King, “to learn the language of nonviolence. It is the language which Dr. King taught, lived, and believed in so strongly that he ultimately gave his life so that the world would be a better place to live and grow.” Keynote speakers including Mrs. King came to Raleigh for the conference and spoke to the assembled youth. Others, such as President George H.W. Bush and Governor James Martin, sent letters to conference attendees commemorating them for following in Dr. King’s footsteps. In the photograph are: Damond Gordon, host of "Teen Summit" on Black Entertainment Television; Anthony Rodgers, Northeastern 4-H District Council President from Gates County; Claudia Hammill, State 4-H Secretary-Treasurer from Halifax County; and Coretta Scott King.
For more information on African-American History at NCSU, take a look at the African American timeline at https://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/african-americans
For more information on the history of 4-H at NCSU, take a look at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/greenngrowing/