INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, March 15, 2022/National FFA Organization) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has been awarded a new grant to digitize its unique collection of materials belonging to a former national youth organization that helped train generations of Black farmers and leaders.
The project will digitize an estimated 150,000 pieces of memorabilia from New Farmers of America (NFA). The project also will offer online access to the materials so students, scholars and the public can learn more about an organization that played a vital role during segregation.
The three-year grant of $324,422 came from the National FFA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National FFA Organization. Tractor Supply Company (TSC), a platinum sponsor of the National FFA, has generously donated $100,000 to fund the first year of the project. TSC is the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S.
“We are thankful for TSC’s generous support in helping the National FFA Foundation fund the effort to maintain these important records as we continue to celebrate the rich history of NFA,” said Molly Ball, National FFA Foundation president and chief marketing officer of the National FFA Organization.
Vicki Coleman, dean of library services at North Carolina A&T’s F.D. Bluford Library, said the New Farmers of America History and Legacy Collection held by the library would add important pieces to the historical record because agriculture employed so many people throughout the South and the nation during the existence of NFA.
“This collection has that history for African Americans,” Coleman said. “It also tells the history of the engagement of historically black colleges and universities with these communities in the South. It’s going to tell a big part of the history of the South.”
NFA was founded in 1935 to promote vocational agriculture education in public schools throughout the South and teach farming skills, leadership, and citizenship values to young Black males. The organization’s first national headquarters was at North Carolina A&T. S.B. Simmons, a North Carolina A&T faculty member in agricultural education, served as a senior NFA leader for two decades. Similar in purpose and structure to the Future Farmers of America, NFA had more than 58,000 members in 1,000 chapters when it merged with FFA in 1965, a year after the federal Civil Rights Act banned racial segregation.
North Carolina A&T has what it believes to be the largest collection of NFA materials anywhere — documents, records, correspondence, banners, medals, photographs and many other items. Much of it has never been seen publicly.
Netta S. Cox, a university librarian and associate professor of library services, is the principal investigator on the grant. Cox serves as head of serials and government documents at the F.D. Bluford Library and is the library’s agricultural liaison. The co-principal investigator is Antoine J. Alston, Ph.D., a professor of agricultural education and associate dean of academic studies in North Carolina A&T’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
The grant will be used primarily to hire a full-time digital librarian and North Carolina A&T students to organize, describe and digitize these primary source materials.
“We must address the tough topics of our past to help our organization create an accessible and inclusive future,” James Woodard, national FFA advisor and chair of the National FFA Board of Directors, recently told FFA New Horizons magazine. “FFA is made up of more than 700,000 members, each with their own unique history, heritage, interests and vision for the future. We honor and respect the differences among us that make us stronger.”
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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About North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically black university, ranked number one among public HBCUs by U.S. News & World Report. It is a land-grant, doctoral high-research classified university by the Carnegie Foundation and constituent member of the University of North Carolina system. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891 and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.
About National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. A separately registered nonprofit organization, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees that includes the national FFA president, educators, business leaders and individual donors. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.
About Tractor Supply Company
Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, has been passionate about serving its unique niche, targeting the needs of recreational farmers, ranchers and all those who enjoy living the rural lifestyle, for more than 80 years. Tractor Supply offers an extensive mix of products necessary to care for home, land, pets and animals with a focus on product localization, exclusive brands and legendary customer service for the Out Here lifestyle. With more than 45,000 Team Members, the Company’s physical store assets, combined with its digital capabilities, offer customers the convenience of purchasing products they need anytime, anywhere and any way they choose at the everyday low prices they deserve. At January 1, 2022, the Company operated 2,003 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states, a consumer mobile app and an e-commerce website at www.TractorSupply.com. Tractor Supply Company also owns and operates Petsense, a small-box pet specialty supply retailer focused on meeting the needs of pet owners, primarily in small and mid-size communities, and offering a variety of pet products and services. At September 25, 2021, the Company operated 177 Petsense stores in 23 states. For more information on Petsense, visit www.Petsense.com.
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