Lead the Shift: A Message from the President’s Office (Vol. 1, No. 2)

By Jeffery Wallace

The Shift | Vol. 1, No. 2 – Future Proofing Our Communities

In this latest episode of Lead the Shift, I sit with Derek Steele, Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, to reflect on what it means to future-proof our communities.

Future-proofing is not just about resilience; it’s about liberation. It asks us to build systems of belonging that are strong enough to make crises obsolete. As Derek reminds us, the future must be designed, not waited for. And design begins with love, the kind bell hooks called “a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust.”

Together, we explored the work of the Black Experience Action Team (BEAT) and the BOLD Black LA movement, two collective efforts building the infrastructure for Black futures through health, housing, and wealth. These aren’t programs; they are blueprints for freedom.  Proof that when communities organize with love and clarity, they can transform power itself.

Derek offered this wisdom: prevention must replace reaction. We must fund mental health before incarceration, protect housing before displacement, and build pathways to economic mobility before poverty takes root across generations.

What continues to stay with me is how this work redefines power as partnership. We’re not building a single table; we’re building a village, anchored in shared vision, grounded in justice, and moved by love.

A future-proof Los Angeles is a healed Los Angeles, one where safety is normalized, opportunity is equitable, and power is shared.

Watch our full conversation and join us in imagining a future where our collective healing becomes the foundation for our collective prosperity.

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Jeffery Wallace is the President and CEO at LeadersUp, driving our mission to build a future-proof economy where everyone can learn, earn, and thrive.