On April 17, 2023, Bevelyn Afor Ukah, Extension Associate, Interim Director of the CEFS Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE), and Youth Food Systems Coordinator for the Food Youth Initiative, received the NC State University Chancellor’s Creating Community “Outstanding Staff Award”. These awards recognize outstanding faculty, staff, colleges, students, student organizations and alumni that have made exceptional efforts and contributions in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion during the course of the academic year.
Bevelyn’s work with the Food Youth Initiative and Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System is a testament to her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in designing her work, in addressing the needs of community and the CEFS family, and in creating a cross-cultural environment.
The FYI Mural Project activated youth groups, local artists and organizers by merging education, reflection, community building, and arts. Participating youth came together to learn about opportunities to shift food systems in response to climate change and frameworks for making change in their communities.
Led by Bevelyn, CORE hosts FREE multi-day virtual racial equity training that will offer a shared language, a shared framework, and a shared history for understanding how racism and systemic barriers inhibit equity in the food system.
The following is an excerpt from Bevelyn’s nomination:
“Bevelyn’s community-based work encompasses diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) – especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Additionally, her work outside of her job duties demonstrates exceptional contributions to NC State and shows how she is an asset to our campus and community.
Bevelyn is committed to inclusivity in how she designs and manages the logistics of her programming. Bevelyn builds up young people of color, switching the narrative so that they see how an institution can learn from their unique experiences, providing opportunities for them to see themselves as valued by a large institution, and setting up instances for young people to observe leadership roles held by people that look like them within a predominantly white institutional setting. Bevelyn has committed to providing job opportunities to young people of color. She often chooses to work with young professionals, mentoring their talents and teaching them how to navigate an institutional employer while keeping their own values of equity.
Bevelyn also has a commitment to placing her work within communities that have been historically underrepresented. For example, she chooses to work with caterers, embedded within small communities, that are committed to food procurement from local farmers even when this work may not be encouraged through institutional vendor and invoicing systems. Bevelyn supports teammates and leadership within CEFS in analyzing the equity of our processes and understanding how our projects could improve by incorporating more equity, diversity, and inclusion. Her thoughtfulness and carefulness in programming takes extra time and effort, but prioritizes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that shows accountability to CEFS’ goals of justice and equity in programming.”
Watch a recording of the award ceremony here (Bevelyn’s award announcement starts around 32 minutes).
Congratulations, Bevelyn!
