The Art of "Soul Connecting": Chevara Orrin at TEDxJacksonville

We exponentially increase the power of community when we make connections and we believe and treasure and value the life of every living being. Chevara Orrin challenges you to make radical connections and invites each and every one of you to live a life worth sharing.

Chevara has worked in the nonprofit and higher education sectors for more than 15 years and has served as a community advocate for more than 30 years. Her earliest memory of activism was as a three-year old, sleeping in concrete building tubes across the street from the White House in support of the Bangladesh Liberation War and protesting famine in Pakistan. She is a creative consultant, writer and public speaker whose topics range from Networking & Personal Brand Development to Social Justice to Personal Empowerment.

A self-proclaimed "soul connector," Chevara's personal mission is to engage and mobilize communities around issues of race, gender, justice, health, education and economic disparity. Because of her tireless efforts, Chevara has been recognized by the White House and Human Rights Campaign as an emerging leader, advocate and ally for the LGBT community. She also has become an outspoken advocate for raising awareness of, and helping to eradicate sexual violence against women and girls.

Chevara Orrin has been an official Floridian since August 2012. Although new to Jacksonville, she already is actively involved in numerous nonprofit organizations, and was recently appointed to serve as a member of the WJCT board of trustees and the Cultural Service Grants Council.

Chevara was born in Washington, DC and raised in Memphis, TN. She obtained a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Memphis. Chevara is married to Marlon Hubbard and has two sons, Michael and William, and a cat named Nala.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)