Chapter 1: Putting our minds to it: Implicit Bias and Advancing Equity in Youth Development

Two Somali young women stand backstage waiting to perform a dramatic piece in the arts competition at the State Fair. They nervously peer out at the audience seated in front of the stage—mostly white, many wearing John Deere caps or waving fans in the sweltering heat. The young women practice the lines for their skit about the experience of wearing a headscarf. When their names are called, they take a deep breath, smile widely, and step onto stage, the new face of 4-H. In an organization historically known for white rural farm kids showing their cows at the State Fair, these young women are part of the organization’s evolution to engage today’s diverse youth in new ways, thereby transforming not only its demographics but also its way of doing business.