In the tenth episode of “Inside Voices,” join host Kevin “Kaze” Thomas for a conversation with Soteria Shepperson — an advocate, activist and artist working in our community as REAL (Race, Equality, Action, Leadership) coordinator for Interfaith Council for Social Service.
“IFC … they have, I believe, the only men’s and women’s shelter in Orange County and they also have a community market and a community commons,” said Shepperson. “A new building is going up where we want to be able to do some more impactful things. I started off with them actually interning through the Johnson Service Corps about four years ago, and through the United Church of Chapel Hill, as well as CEF and Justice United, I really became a community organizer.”
With her history giving the context and experience necessary to understand community and organized efforts, Shepperson is uniquely qualified to speak on ways to change our community and world for the better.
“I am the daughter of a formerly incarcerated parent, and seeing the struggles that my mom had really impacted and shaped what I wanted to do,” said Shepperson. “Initially, I went to George Mason for systems engineering. I got in the class and I just was, like, frustrated my first semester. I’m a first generation college graduate. So I’m trying to figure out how in the world do I navigate all of these systems at one time. And then I started really becoming more interested in the criminal justice system — so I ended up graduating with my bachelor’s in administration of justice and social work, because I found how important and valuable I could be building a relationship with people on the ground.”
Listen below for the full conversation between Kaze and Soteria, and check back next week for a new installment of “Inside Voices” on 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
“Inside Voices” is a platform dedicated to Black men and women, people of color and allies — and a place to share experiences, concerns and stories while working to find hope and optimism about tackling tough topics and discussions while finding constructive ways to talk about solutions. “Inside Voices” is hosted by Kevin “Kaze” Thomas.
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