S3E2: Climate Solutions: Heal Yourself To Heal The Planet With Bevelyn Ukah, Jodi Lasseter, and Connie Leeper

Join the CJY hosts, Abigail and Mareshah, as they dive into the powerful concept of “wounded healers” and the essential practice of addressing our own triggers while doing transformative work. How do we nurture ourselves to better care for others? Combating burnout, especially in activism, is a topic close to our hearts. Discover the link between community support and self-care! Meet three inspiring women from the North Carolina Climate Justice Collective as they share their wisdom and experiences.

Bevelyn Afor Ukah is an equity strategist and self-taught artist, developing her art practice as a form of inner resilience, hoping that her work inspires others to build their own self and community-love practices. Bevelyn is the founding consultant of AFI Oak Consulting, consultant of the the NC Climate Justice Training Cooperative and co-founding consultant of the Auralite Collective. She is also a part of the Black Women’s Art Collective of Public Art Practice. She is the Director of the Committee on Racial Equity, an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), focusing on building a community of practice around racial equity in our food system. Bevelyn received her Bachelors in International Studies, Sociology and Anthropology from Guilford College and completed her Masters in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management (with a concentration on facilitation and social justice).

Connie Leeper is a North Carolina based movement elder & cultural worker based in Durham. For the past 50 years she has worked at the intersections of various radical justice movements as an activist, organizer and anti-oppression trainer. She is a founding co-executive director of the NC Climate Justice Collective. She also serves as the Senior Climate Justice Director at NC WARN and on the board of Southeast Climate & Energy Network (SCEN) as well as the advisory board of Durham People’s Solidarity Hub.

Originally from Asheville, NC, Jodi Lasseter is an educator, facilitator, and cultural organizer. Drawing on her background in restorative justice and experiential education, Jodi has been engaged at all levels of the climate justice movement. In 2013, she co-founded the NC Climate Justice Collective (NCCJC) and now serves as the Co-Executive Director. Through her own consulting practice, Turn the Tide, Jodi leads popular education workshops and ecofeminist action circles. She is a co-founder of the Healing Our Movement Ecosystem Jam (HOME) and is a facilitator of the Work that Reconnects. She is on the steering committees of the Climate and Jobs Roundtable and Thrive NC coalition. Jodi has a BA in Women’s Studies and Anthropology from UNC-Chapel Hill and earned her MA in International Development, Community and Environment from Clark university. She currently lives in Durham NC, where she delights in community song circles, playing frame drums, and exploring the best local swimming holes.

“Personal healing and planetary healing are two sides of the same coin.” – Jodi Lasseter

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