The second annual FFA for All Experience, held during the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo, built on the impact the event made last year and created space for attendees to experience opportunities for inclusivity. Participating FFA members and guests sang, played a game of human bingo and listened to featured speakers.
“You can be with all these other people, and you can actually talk to them and learn something individually, instead of going into a big open space where there’s a ton of people that you don’t know,” says Bloomfield FFA member Jaisa Foster.
Corey Flournoy, the first African-American to be named national FFA president and current executive in residence for equity, diversity and inclusion, says the event focuses on embodying the kind of FFA programs members will want to have in the future.
“We have work to do in helping people to recognize that as we expand to be more inclusive of other cultures, we don’t lose out on the original people who started this organization,” he says.
“That’s what this [event] is about — creating a sense of empathy for people who may be different than you.”
Article edited by newsroom reporter Taleen Hanna.
