At Stratiscope’s third City Impact Lab of the year on September 24, we heard from Zahirah Mann, James Herr, and Jim Kales on taking control of your own path, the issues their organizations are preparing for in the future, and what drives them in their roles today.
Zahirah Mann, President and CEO, South LA Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z)
Zahirah has always looked to see how she can make an impact throughout her career and how she can make things better for the people in her community. That comes from how she was raised and an understanding from her family of her grandmother’s legacy of civic engagement in Harlem among Black leaders. She first worked as a public interest attorney and then moved into philanthropy, then took those tools and skills and put them into SLATE-Z.
Speaking about what is critical to community impact in Los Angeles, Zahirah focused on one’s network as a primary component:
“Your network is so critical to your success and your professional career. It’s building authentic, genuine relationships with people. This could be your kitchen cabinet later of people you go to when you need advice, or it’s people that speak your name and speak of it well when you’re not in the room. It’s invaluable. Also, your story is yours to tell — other people only know what you tell them — and you’re responsible for your own career and focusing on how you want to grow and what makes you happy.”
She mentioned climate change as a key issue we all have to face:
“There are so many different opportunities for communities like South LA that have been burdened by pollution for decades and generations and that are also low-income communities to really see their communities thrive by taking advantage of resources that are coming as a result of entering a more climate-conscious economy. The younger generation is also concerned about climate change and are trying to address it. We’re beyond the individual recycling question, we’re now at a systems-level; we’re talking about money, resources, and jobs that need to make shifts to build the base to transform the way we approach climate change.”
At the end of the panel, Zahirah gave us a motto to summarize her advice:
“Community engagement is critical to success.”
James Herr, Director, National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, Japanese American National Museum
Having grown up as the only person of color in his community outside of Philadelphia, James is driven by the desire to make sure that everyone feels that there’s a place for them to participate in democracy. He was in philanthropy, arts administration, non-profit, and consulting roles before finding a fit at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
Speaking to young professionals, James offered some reassurance:
“At 22, I don’t think I even cared to figure it out. My problem was that I didn’t have any direction. Everything’s going to be okay, just trust in yourself and believe in yourself and what you have to offer.”
Looking ahead to the future, James recognized the increasing presence of AI across all aspects of work and life:
“Technology is always evolving. There’s a lot of promise and fear around AI, so for young people to be able to understand how to use it, use it well, and use it responsibly, is something we’re going to have to figure out. It’s inescapable. How do you ride with the tide since we can’t push the tide back?”
To close out, James reminded us of how many opportunities and resources we have at our fingertips to make an impact:
“Los Angeles, we have it all.”
Jim Kales, CEO, Braille Institute of America
Jim was born in LA, but grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Part of his origin story, he says, is having two parents who are psychiatrists. Growing up, Jim didn’t want to be a doctor; instead, he was drawn to the idea of bringing people together and creating impact. He started out working in the government, then in politics, then as a journalist. Finally, he began working for a non-profit, and that’s when it clicked.
Like James, Jim also gave a few words of reassurance for people experiencing self doubt or uncertainty in their careers:
“Don’t worry if you don’t have it all figured out. It’s okay. It’s great that we’re still exploring throughout our careers. And don’t try to do it all yourself. As I have learned over the decades, the bigger impact we have comes as a result of bringing people in, working as a team, and making use of our talents together.”
Jim shared some insight on the future from his unique perspective at the Braille Institute:
“Nationally, in the US, the number of people with severe vision loss is increasing dramatically as our population ages. There’s about 8 million people in the US who are blind or have severe vision loss, and more than 1 billion worldwide. So as an organization, we have a responsibility to say ‘how do we address that challenge?’ We’re improving our digital delivery to reach more people around the world and provide them with the resources they need.”
The motto of the Braille Institute is “No Boundaries in Sight,” which Jim shared with us to encourage us in our work.
We’re thankful to Zahirah, James, and Jim for spending the morning with us and sharing their perspectives on civic engagement and community impact. To stay up-to-date with City Impact Lab, subscribe to our events page.
Explore our archive of City Impact Lab video recaps:
April 2021: Mark Loranger on the Power of Relationships for Community Impact
March 2021: James Alva on Self-Determination and Seizing Economic Opportunities
January 2021: John Erickson on Change-Making and Leadership
November 2020: Post-Election Conversation
October 2020: Tracy Evans on Advancing Nonprofits’ Missions
September 2020: Capri Maddox on Creating Community Equity
August 2020: Hilary Norton on Building Better Cities
July 2020: Ron Galperin on Bringing Radical Transparency to City Finances
June 2020: Tunua Thrash-Ntuk on Advocacy and Action at the Local Level
