Meet Bevelyn Afor Ukah, our new Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) Director for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)! In her new role, Ukah will be leading the CORE team, advancing CEFS’ racial equity goals, and evaluating impacts of these initiatives.
Ukah formerly held the title of Youth Food Systems Coordinator for the Food Youth Initiative Program (FYI), a CEFS initiative which engages youth leading food justice work across North Carolina. She has also been deeply engaged in food systems and racial equity work in the community for many years. Ukah received a 2023 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.
Read below to learn more about Bevelyn Ukah, how she got her start at CEFS, and her journey doing racial equity work.
Q: How did you get into Racial Equity work and how did you find out about CEFS?
I came to racial equity work before I came to food systems work. My first racial equity workshop was when I was a sophomore in college and I remember looking at the trainers and experiencing the workshop thinking “this is what I want to do with my life.” That was a very empowering moment for me, but I think it was empowering for my relationships too, because I came out of it being able to better articulate my experiences…It helped me to be able to approach [conversations surrounding racial equity] with a bit of groundedness. Following those breadcrumbs from my racial equity work led me into doing more youth work which became a passion for me as well. Following those two things, youth and racial equity, led me into food systems.
I was working with [youth], and we created programming around what they desired for themselves, professionally and personally. One of the youth was interested in agribusiness…so I intentionally sought out to connect her to someone who knew more about sustainable agriculture, and when I researched online, I found CEFS. Then, I found Tessa Thraves, who invited our youth group to come to a Food Youth Initiative gathering. That is when I first came to meet youth and adults from Food Youth Initiative youth groups like Transplanting Traditions, Poder Juvenil Campesino, Growing Change and Conetoe Family Life Center. They were already there doing youth work, and I came in as an adult ally the first year with a group of youth, and then the job opening for the Food Youth Initiative Coordinator opened up later that year, and I applied. I always say I came into food systems work following the youth, and I’ve made it my commitment to follow the youth as much as possible because it can be a life changer.
Q: What is the inspiration behind your racial equity work?
Racial equity is actually an invitation to think intentionally about everything. We can all philosophize about racial equity, and whether or not it’s possible, with all the negative things that have happened in the world and our history, and all the ways that it has been recreated. I choose every day to consider that, but more importantly, to focus on how we can incorporate a process that truly uplifts people’s experiences. That process inspires me every day and that’s why I keep doing it.
Q: How do you see the future of CORE?
I think we continue to get better at one of the things that I believe we do really well, and that’s our trainings and our workshops. I would love for our workshops to continue to be well attended and for people to feel fulfilled when they attend and for them to have good [knowledge] to take away. My hope is that we find time to really investigate the contradictions within our curriculum and find ways to have a deeper impact through our workshops. I want to work on CORE’s transparency around some of the contradictions we hold as we’re doing racial equity work. Also, in some ways, leverage power and privilege to be able to encourage sovereignty and liberation, while also recognizing the ways that it may not be possible right now within the institutional framework that we’re working in. My hope is to just be open about that process.
Q: What does an equitable food future look like to you?
Sovereignty. For more people to be able to have more empowered decision-making processes around their own lives through collaboration, through agreements, and folks honoring their agreements. If this was implemented in our food systems, I think that more people will be eating healthy food that’s more locally sourced, and it would be happier food with a lot less chemicals. A part of our future would be investigating food as our medicine. When we think about our food system as a space for building medicine, I think that we would honor it in a different way. Also, I think it’s important to be explicit sometimes because we have people who are being deeply exploited because of their immigration status, because of what neighborhood they are born in, or because of what class they are in. It’s not just about food and race. There are all these intersections, so I think an equitable food future is also about considering the intersections between [food systems and] race, class, and other forms of identity.
Q: What do you foresee being the biggest challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
I think the biggest challenges might be taking responsibility for what is my role and not taking responsibility for what is not my role. Oftentimes, as a person of color, especially a woman of color, or a Black woman, in a position that is about equity, there can be a lot of things put in that person’s lap, making them responsible for organizational values everyone should be upholding. Therefore, I don’t want this director position to be a crutch for the organization or for any individual within it. I also do not want to continue behaviors that I may have learned from history, from my family history, or from how society paints a picture of a Black woman. I don’t want to continue those archetypes within this position or in life. I think that’ll be a challenge for sure, but I hope everybody is up for it.
Q: Who/what has played an instrumental role along your journey, at CEFS, and in racial equity work?
The youth I’ve worked with over the years have played a very instrumental role in my understanding North Carolina in a more intimate way and have helped me to stay grounded in the multiple realities that are going on in this very beautiful and diverse state. Also, adult allies that work with youth are some of the hardest working people. Being an ally to youth is one of the most powerful experiences, but it’s a space that is not well-resourced.
People at CEFS, like Tessa Thraves, for hiring me, and believing in me. I want to shout out, Ree Ree Wei, Anna Flores, Cecilia Polanco and also the CEFS Local Food Working Group. Those different collaborations over the years have been really beautiful; especially working with Robyn Stout, who has mentored me, guided me, and believed in me when I was not believing in myself or my ability to do things. I love Robyn so much. Then, I would say Nancy Creamer for starting CEFS and fighting really hard and having a lot of tough conversations with Shorlette Ammons and Tessa Thraves about the importance of prioritizing racial equity in this work, and making sure the resources were there to do it. Nancy is the bomb.com and is such a servant leader. Last and maybe most importantly, Shorlette Ammons, who started the Committee on Racial Equity and was also a very humble, but powerful, leader in racial equity and continues to do food systems work amongst a lot of other amazing things.
Q: What tips do you have for others doing racial equity work?
Always come back to the goals, the principles, and the values as an assessment tool; not from a research standpoint, but moreso, just a “how are we” in a meeting. I’ve learned that simple check-ins are a game changer. Just asking people how they’re doing, and then not mowing over the answer. Really encouraging people to be honest about how they’re doing every single meeting. That may not seem like it’s racial equity, but it’s human work. Also, I don’t think anyone is an expert of racial equity, so that process of inquiry is really important. Also, there is this pattern of going up to people of color and asking them to be spokespeople for all people of color. Think of ways that you can be better at taking responsibility for and ownership over your own values no matter who you are or what your race is.
Q: What three words would you use to describe the mindset you need to have doing racial equity work?
Open mindedness, open heartedness, and self-awareness.
Congratulations to Bevelyn Ukah on her new role! Visit the Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) website to find opportunities to engage with and learn more about CORE.