By: Kerry Liard
October 27 – Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) hosted the 2020 Cooperative Extension Program Planning Conference on October 21 and 22. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the conference was held online, taking on a unique twist with more emphasis on professional development planning and the announcement of new initiatives, which included improvements on race relations.
“We need to work on the race-related challenges between AgriLife and CEP,” said Dawn Burton, CAHS Program Specialist for Health and Wellness. “The overarching goal is to increase the capacity of the staff in both agencies to engage in sensitive dialogue so that we can then take it to the community.”
The PVAMU Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) and Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service collaborate to serve Texas by providing educational programs to communities with limited access to resources.
As the extension program for one of the oldest and largest 1890 Universities in the nation, CEP serves 35 counties across Texas, providing underserved communities with practical, research-based knowledge that can improve home and health, family, and agriculture and farming opportunities.
After traveling to Maryland to complete training designed to empower extension professionals to conduct civil dialogue on race relations within the community, both CEP and AgriLife representatives returned to Texas, realizing that they needed to address internal challenges before they engaged the communities, said Burton.
“Nothing has been resolved, but the conversations are happening to help move things forward in a positive way,” she said. Working together, the groups have been able to “identify systematic racism and bias within both extension programs and provide recommendations for improvement” through the Coming Together for Racial Understanding (CTRU) workgroup.
Jeffrey Hyde, Ph.D., Director of Texas A&M University AgriLife, spoke on Thursday at the conference and echoed Burton’s optimistic comments regarding the positive work completed by CTRU to establish an open dialogue on improving race relations.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to have this group’s recommendations,” said Hyde. “There are things we can do as an agency to, truly, pursue a more diverse workforce. I believe that’s where we have to go to serve every Texan.
“It’s not only important for AgriLife to be culturally sensitive; it’s imperative. It’s critical that we stay connected across the organizations.”
Noting his September 2019 appointment as AgriLife director, CAHS Executive Associate Director Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., spoke highly of Hyde’s involvement. “Immediately, he saw things that needed to be clarified and strengthened,” she said. “I’m looking forward to this working relationship.”
CAHS Dean and Director Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., spoke briefly on day two of the conference to commend the work accomplished by both extension services, saying that he is looking forward to more venues that expand the ongoing dialogue between AgriLife and CEP.
In some cases, CEP agents serve the community by interacting with state legislators. On the first day of the conference, CEP Family Community Health Agent Jennifer Nickell presented information about a helpful legislative “toolkit” she and her team are developing for use by CEP agents, students, and others.
“We go through the steps of how to engage your legislators—through initial contacts, meeting preparation, what to discuss in the meeting, and ongoing communications,” said Nickell. “Our goal is to advocate for our program and our clients.”
Nickell said the toolkit, “useful for any demographic,” should be ready for use within the next six months.
Ashwani Srivastava, Director of AITC for CAHS, presented Wednesday at the conference, sharing how his department has enhanced CEP agents’ performance capabilities by providing them with much-needed technology upgrades and innovations.
“It is a challenge how we deliver our programs,” said Srivastava. “Our main goal is to place technology in the hands of agents, enabling them to deliver their program in a virtual environment.”
Also speaking at the conference was Chef Mateo Herrera. His work on preserving ancestral foods has led to a better understanding of indigenous populations’ valuable contributions to modern diets with pre-colonial foods, which offer a healthy, low-fat, and low-glycemic alternative.
CEP Planning Conference Co-chair Sheryl Austin commented by phone that she was extremely pleased with the “positive and supportive vibe” present throughout the two-day conference, saying that the moderators and “ice breakers” fostered an engaging, inviting environment for all participants.
“There was just a lot of fun and laughter,” said Austin. “You don’t always get a lot of that at conferences. The information from the speakers was very on point and timely.”
If you would like to be involved in Coming Together for Racial Understanding to help them achieve their goals, contact Dawn Burton a deburton@PVAMU.edu for more information.
For more information about the CEP Planning Conference please contact:
Sheryl Austin
Family and Community Health, Extension Agent
slaustin@pvamu.edu
(254) 933-5305