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

By Jeffery Wallace

The Shift | Vol. 2, No. 2 — Transforming Black Futures Together: Driving Change from Within

In the latest episode of Lead The Shift, host Jeffery Wallace, CEO of LeadersUp, engages in a powerful and grounded conversation with Dr. David C. Turner III, community-engaged scholar, organizer, and faculty director of the Million Dollar Hoods project. Together, they explore the relationship between Black history and Black futures, challenging listeners to move beyond celebration and into shared responsibility.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6jNfJgSQlg

At the heart of the conversation is a central question: What does it truly mean to shift power?

Dr. Turner reflects on the legacy of Ella Baker and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, reminding us that strong people do not need strong leaders — they need strong communities. He shares firsthand examples of youth-led organizing that shaped real policy outcomes, including California’s Assembly Bill 392, which redefined use-of-force standards in the state. These victories were not symbolic. They were driven by young people who demanded to lead, not advise.

The dialogue moves into a deeper examination of how public systems reflect our priorities. Through the Million Dollar Hoods project, Dr. Turner reveals how communities have spent tens of millions of dollars incarcerating residents in a single neighborhood over just a few years. These figures prompt a sobering question: What could be built if those same resources were invested in youth development, economic mobility, and community-led solutions?

Jeffery underscores that this is the shift LeadersUp is working toward — moving from youth voice to youth power building. Leadership today, they argue, is no longer about a singular charismatic figure at the front of the march. It is dispersed, collective, and rooted in governance. The future will not be inherited by young people; it will be co-designed with them.

The conversation also highlights the progress made in youth justice over the last decade, including significant reductions in youth incarceration in Los Angeles County. Yet both leaders are clear: progress is not completion. The systems that criminalized young people were built over centuries. Dismantling them requires sustained investment, shared authority, and organized collective power.

As the episode closes, Dr. Turner outlines what must be non-negotiable for Black youth in shaping the future: decision-making power over their lives and communities, investment in leadership development, and accountability from institutions that claim to serve them.

This episode of Lead The Shift is not a nostalgic reflection on history. It is a blueprint for governance. It calls on policymakers, educators, funders, and community leaders to move from participation to power — and to recognize that Black futures must be organized, resourced, and governed differently.

Don’t miss this compelling conversation on collective leadership, youth-led policy design, and what it takes to build systems that truly reflect the communities they serve. The future is not something we inherit. It is something we construct — together.

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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.