Zip Code Economies

We reconnect with Mr. Sanchez, the 10th grade English teacher at Firebaugh High School, who is the definition of an essential worker in the pandemic. Racial and economic inequities have always existed in Firebaugh, and recent events have only magnified this reality. As lack of internet access threatens to cut students off from his class, Mr. Sanchez fights to ensure continued access to education as an act of social justice.

If the intergenerational transmission of hope is a journey, Lahela Williams is an ideal guide. A Native Hawaiian, she discusses the effects of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement in Honolulu, while drawing parallels with the fight to protect the sacred mountain, Mauna Kea. Through it all, we learn that from great chaos comes great change, and we have the “kuleana”—or responsibility—to maintain hope.

In our continued search for answers, we check in with Will Unga, a Pacific Islander raising his young kids in the predominately white, religious community of Salt Lake City. He walks us through his experiences, reminding us of our obligation to continually cultivate hope for the sake of both past and future generations.

In the first episode of Zip Code Economies 1.5, we reconnect with someone who understands how to nurture hope in others, even during the most difficult times. Pastor Paul Bains is a tireless advocate in East Palo Alto, especially on issues of justice and equality. Like tulips, we learn that hope can be buried for a time, but returns with patience, love, and perseverance.

How can you change the narrative when the odds are stacked against you? We wrap up this season of Zip Code Economies back in San Diego, with a look at how education is creating new opportunities for not just students, but entire families. As a new generation moves forward as contributors in society, they’re determined to not forget where they came from, while also embracing that zip code doesn’t define their destiny.

Interviewees:

• Katherine Field
• Reality Changers students
• Chanel Bradley
• Jacqueline Guan
• Sara Boquin
• Barrio Logan College Institute students
• Adelita Jasso
• Connie Snowden

Organizations:

• Monarch School
• Reality Changers
• Barrio Logan College Institute

On our last stop this season, we land in San Diego facing a chicken or egg dilemma: Do communities create economies? Or is it the other way around? To help us solve that puzzle, we talk to the manager of a nonprofit, a hotel CEO, a Colonel in the Marines, and a Spanish teacher—people who might not seem to have much in common, but who have found a shared home in this fluid, ever-changing part of Southern California.

Interviewees:

• Kristen Walker
• Colonel Jason Woodworth
• Robert Gleason
• Dan Watman

Organizations:

• San Diego Workforce Partnership
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
• Evans Hotels
• Friends of Friendship Park

When you ask residents what makes Hawaii such a special place to live, one word comes up over and over again: “ohana.” But what is “ohana”? In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we return to Honolulu to find out. Join us as we walk away with not just one definition of ohana, but many—all of which we hope to carry back to the mainland. 

Interviewees:

• Michelle Kauhane
• Michael Bruno
• University of Hawai’i at Mānoa students
• Lahela Williams
• Shantel Jones

Organizations:

• Hawaii Community Foundation
• University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
• Hawaiian Community Assets

Many people think of Hawaii as a vacation destination. But what about the people who call it home? In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we travel to Honolulu to uncover “hidden” Hawaii. Through the stories of a blind shopkeeper, Filipino immigrants transitioning jobs, and a native Hawaiian working to build financial resilience, we encounter a community striving to adapt to tough economic realities in a landscape dominated by tourism.

Interviewees:

• Ryan Kusumoto
• Zachery Grace
• Shantel Jones
• Kim Gillis-Robello
• James Hardway
• Janny Mendoza
• John Dumayag
• Lahela Williams

Organizations:

• Parents and Children Together (PACT)
• Hotel And Restaurant Industry Employment & Training Trust (HARIETT) Hawaii
• Hawaiian Community Assets

How do you love yourself and your community when it feels like the whole world is against you? In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we head back to East Palo Alto and talk with a charter school principal, an “old-school” police chief, and a pastor who runs a homeless shelter where billionaires take out the trash. Through these conversations, we witness a refrain of love and forgiveness, which is transforming East Palo Alto from the inside out.

Interviewees:

• Amika Guillaume
• East Palo Alto Academy students
• Albert Pardini
• Paul Bains

Organizations:

• East Palo Alto Academy
• East Palo Alto Police Department
• Project WeHOPE

East Palo Alto, California, is a 2.64 square mile community surrounded by tech giants and staggering wealth, where residents must weigh being welcoming to newcomers today with the real possibility their own families may be displaced tomorrow. In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we meet individuals bridging this tension through entrepreneurship, coding, and legal services. While the future may be uncertain, residents have a mindset rooted in resiliency that offers reason to be optimistic.  

Interviewees:

Organizations:

We continue to chisel away at preconceptions through conversations with five women in Salt Lake City— all of them part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we take a closer look at their individual paths to the labor force, which all reflect a broader narrative of more women than ever before choosing to pursue work outside the home.

Interviewees:

• Janae Moss
• Robbyn Scribner
• Susan Madsen
• Meg Walter
• Sister Henrie

Organizations:

• Utah Women and Leadership Project at Utah Valley University
• Silicon Slopes

What makes a neighbor? In this episode of Zip Code Economies, we head to Salt Lake City, where we grapple with matters of values, faith, and inclusion— while confronting some of our own biases. In the search for clarity, we talk to an array of residents, from a demographic researcher at the University of Utah to a Brigham Young University student interning at the San Francisco Fed. Can we take a leap of faith? Find out. 

Interviewees:

• Will Unga
• Brandon Payne
• Pam Perlich
• Josh and Elizabeth England

Organizations:

• Salt Lake City Community College
• The University of Utah
• England Logistics, Inc.

At first glance, Firebaugh doesn’t seem to have much going for it as a small, agricultural community in the fifth poorest region in America. Yet somehow 97% of students in this primarily immigrant town graduate high school and 77% head to college. In the inaugural episode of Zip Code Economies, we discover the recipe for this success at Firebaugh High School.  

Interviewees:

• Luis Sanchez
• Luis Linares
• Russell Freitas
• Cynthia Best

Organizations:

• Firebaugh High School

Can a physical place be a source of comfort? Can it be a light in the midst of darkness? We explore these questions and more in this episode of Zip Code Economies, as we return to the community of Firebaugh. From the Firebaugh Police Department, which serves as a type of community hub, to the campus of West Hills Community College operating in a former bowling alley, we meet individuals living out the message: Your current state does not have to determine your future state.

Interviewees: 

• Salvador Raygoza
• Fernando Moreno
• Raquel Tabares
• Brady Jenkins
• Angelic Salinas
• Amber Myrick

Organizations:

• Firebaugh Police Department
• City of Firebaugh
• Firebaugh High School
• West Hills Community College 

On June 21st, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco launches a new podcast, Zip Code Economies, hosted by SF Fed CEO Mary Daly. We’ll be sharing the stories of people, as they navigate unique economic situations in their communities, but (like the rest of us) strive to make contributions, create opportunity, and move forward—together.

Why do you still hope? That's the question we found ourselves asking in the middle of 2020 as the pandemic spread and our country reckoned with social injustice. To answer it, SF Fed CEO Mary Daly returns to some of the most memorable voices from Season 1—the ambassadors of hope who inspire us with their resilience in the face of adversity. The result is Zip Code Economies 1.5—a project we never intended to make, but that we can now never forget. Please join us for this special bonus series.