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, we returned to some of the most memorable voices from our first season—the ambassadors of hope who inspired us with their tireless 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.
Watch the Zip Code Economies Season 1 trailer (transcript).
Learn more about the origin story behind Zip Code Economies (transcript).
Listen to the latest from Zip Code Economies.
Only 2.64 square miles, East Palo Alto borders more affluent Silicon Valley neighbors on all sides. In the wake of dramatic demographic changes and soaring housing prices, residents have found creative ways to maintain their way of life. Now, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and the killing of George Floyd introduces another complex dimension to the community’s identity, while rekindling conversations around decades-old economic and racial injustices.
*All photos are from season 1
March 1, 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.
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July 9, 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.
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July 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.
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Since 1848, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has played a central role in Salt Lake City’s culture and economy. Today, while the church remains influential, newcomers—particularly of color—bring rapid change. Now, COVID-19 and the national reckoning on systemic racism causes new fault lines to emerge.
*All photos are from season 1, except for photo #7 which is from 2020
March 8, 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.
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June 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.
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June 28, 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.
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A “beef stew” of diverse cultures, Honolulu has cemented its role as a major economic center for Hawaii and the western United States. While the economy continues to diversify, the city still heavily relies on tourism, which COVID-19 dramatically curtailed. As unemployment soars, Honolulu grapples with the tension between reopening to tourists and protecting the health of residents.
*All photos are from season 1
March 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.
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August 6, 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.
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August 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.
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In the heart of California’s Central Valley, Firebaugh is a tight-knit, agricultural community that generations of immigrants have called home. Thanks to an intergenerational commitment to education, more than 97% of their young people- many of them English language learners— graduate high school. Now, like many low- to moderate-income communities of color, COVID-19 casts a long shadow on Firebaugh’s economy, sense of community, and access to education.
*All photos are from season 1
March 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.
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June 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.
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June 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.
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The San Diego economy is truly international in scope- a prime example of a “cross-border” community. With its close proximity to Mexico, the city relies on international trade, defense, healthcare, and biotechnology as it welcomes a growing proportion of immigrants from all over the world. While San Diego’s agility has helped it adapt to changing economic conditions, the pandemic has not left the city and its residents unscathed.
*All photos are from season 1
March 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.
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August 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 a 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.
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August 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.
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Zip Code Economies is a podcast from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Hosted by Mary C. Daly, the series uncovers stories of hope in unlikely places, and puts a human face on micro-economies within the nine Western states of the Federal Reserve’s Twelfth District.
Mary C. Daly is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. As a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, she helps set American monetary policy. Dr. Daly is an accomplished labor economist with a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. She previously hosted Twice Around, another podcast from the San Francisco Fed. Originally from Ballwin, Missouri (63011), she now resides in Oakland, California (94610) with her wife, Shelly.
The San Francisco Fed is responsible for the largest and most diverse district within the Federal Reserve System. Making sure the economy works for everyone who lives here is a top priority, and the most effective way to do that is by directly engaging with the people we serve. Zip Code Economies provides a forum for people to share their own stories. And at a time when society seems more divided than ever, it offers valuable insight into how individuals and institutions can still build bridges at the community level.
Economics is ultimately the study of people, and how they choose to live and work as a community. By elevating what’s working at the micro-level, Zip Code Economies invites listeners to consider how these lessons learned could be applied at the macro-level.
Across ten episodes, Season 1 of Zip Code Economies visited five communities within the Federal Reserve’s diverse Twelfth District:
Across five episodes, Zip Code Economies Season 1.5 revisits some of the most memorable people featured in Season 1. The conversations center on how they’re processing the COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and racial injustices.
Yes! After spending its first season in California, Hawaii, and Utah, Season 2 of Zip Code Economies will travel to the remaining six states in the Twelfth District: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
Visit frbsf.org to stay up to date on the latest news, research, and community development efforts from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
Zip Code Economies shares stories from places of opportunity – where people have come together to create a better life for each other and for future generations.
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco believes every community can – and should – be a place of opportunity. It’s good for individuals, institutions, and the overall health of the American economy.
We’re committed to identifying and reducing hurdles to economic inclusion, and ensuring people have access to the information and resources they need to succeed. As part of our community development, economic outreach, and education efforts, we:
You can learn more about the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's work at frbsf.org.
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