Zip Code Economies

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Latest Episodes:

Voices from Yakama Nation Mar 06, 2024

Our latest conversations with members  of Yakama Nation, a community on the eastside of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state, provided us with unique stories and perspectives on the interconnectedness of policy, place,  and people. Hear from some of the Yakama Nation members we spoke with as they describe their community in one word.

The Virtuous Cycle of Hope: Season 1.5, Chapter Five Mar 29, 2021

As we wrap up Zip Code Economies 1.5, we want to know how young people are faring. So we reconnect with Nefiso and Najmo Abdi, twin sisters we met as high schoolers from San Diego’s tight-knit Somali community. Now in college and navigating the intersection of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protests, they recognize you can’t put a timeline on change. Instead, they focus on what they can—learning from this time of turmoil and making sure their voices are heard.

Warrior of Light: Season 1.5, Chapter Four Mar 22, 2021

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.

The Essence of Kuleana: Season 1.5, Chapter Three Mar 15, 2021

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.

The Family You Choose: Season 1.5, Chapter Two Mar 08, 2021

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.

Planting Tulips: Season 1.5, Chapter One Mar 01, 2021

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.

Under Pain Lives Hope: Zip Code Economies 1.5 Trailer Feb 26, 2021

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.

10: Your Zip Code Doesn’t Define Your Destiny Aug 27, 2019

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

9: An Economy Like Water Aug 20, 2019

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

8: Searching for Ohana Aug 13, 2019

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

7: Hidden Hawaii Aug 06, 2019

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

6: Can You Love Yourself When the World’s Against You? Jul 16, 2019

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

5: Resiliency is a Mindset Jul 09, 2019

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:

• Youth United for Community Action students • Tim Russell • Frederick Alexander • Salimah Hankins

Organizations:

• Youth United for Community Action • Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center • StreetCode Academy • Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto

4: A New Economic Reality Jul 02, 2019

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

3: Faith vs. Values—What Makes a Neighbor? Jun 25, 2019

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.

2: Your Current State Does Not Determine Your Future State Jun 21, 2019

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

1: The Intergenerational Transmission of Hope Jun 21, 2019

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

Every Zip Code Has a Story: Zip Code Economies Trailer Jun 20, 2019

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.

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