JENNIFER KIM-ANH TRAN

Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce; Oakland APIA Unite

What she does: Jennifer Kim-Anh Tran is the executive director of Oakland's Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. She also leads the racial justice coalition Oakland APIA Unite, which pushes for sustainable infrastructure in Oakland’s communities. Intersectionality is a constant focus of her work.

"We’re more diverse than ever but how are we using that diversity and that privilege?"

In her words:  “I’m born and raised in Oakland, so Oakland is home for me.  I engage the immigrant-refugee community here so that we can address themes around racial equity in a nuanced way to factor in the unique challenges that monolingual communities experience and encounter. That hasn’t been more apparent than during this pandemic and what it has elevated in terms of the lack of resources for low-income communities of color and immigrant communities of color.

“What I’m pushing for in my work is long-term investment. Our cities and our realities have been constructed and designed by our government and our decision-makers. So it is up to our decision-makers, our elected officials, our institutions who have so much power, to re-invest in our communities. It’s a two-pronged approach. Building as we educate. In order to achieve long-term investment, my organizational and coalition work advocate for equitable policies and community engagement.

“One of the main ways that I reach communities is through cultural festivals so that we can educate and connect [the people] that live next to each other but may not always share their experiences together. It’s through culture that we have reason to celebrate our shared experiences but also learn about our differences. These (cultural) events are always opportunities to build as we educate. 

“My big call and motivator for doing this work is that there are so many people who have power, who have privilege and wealth, ideas and passion, who are looking to make a difference. Our goal in life shouldn’t be simply to survive. I think we should raise the bar to what we can provide and should contribute to really transform what it means to be a human being in the Bay Area in the 21st century, when we’ve never seen more inequalities in our daily lives. We’re more diverse than ever but how are we using that diversity and that privilege? The work is plentiful and yet we don’t have enough resources. [The question is] how can we use ourselves right where we are, to make a big impact?”

SAM COBBS

B.A. Psychology ‘99, M.S. Counseling ‘06
Organization: Tipping Point

What he does: Tipping Point is a philanthropic organization that raises money and gives it to organizations, usually non-profits, who are trying to eliminate poverty in the Bay Area. Each year, Tipping Point funds somewhere between $50-60 million dollars in four areas: early childhood, homeless and housing, economic mobility, and education. As CEO, Cobbs is responsible for putting together the strategy and vision, as well as implementing the strategy across the region.

"Nobody in my family had ever gone to college before, nobody in my neighborhood had ever gone to college before. I had to utilize all of those services, and because of that I also wanted to give back to others.”

In his words:  “When I moved to California for college I got a part-time job in Richmond working in what was then the murder capital of the United States. There were more murders per capita in the Iron Triangle in Richmond than there were anywhere else. The things I saw that those young people had to worry about and had to think about were things that I never had to worry about and think about when I was growing up. So that really made me realize how privileged I had been and I really wanted to give back to those young people. That led me to working at the Boys and Girls Club and getting deeper into working in community and working with kids. 

“At the end of the day I realized that all of the things I had been working on were a manifestation of poverty. The reason we had those social ills is because people didn’t have enough — they couldn’t make ends meet — and that manifested itself in different ways. Some people self-medicate and use substances, other people struggle with their mental health, other people have to go out and work late hours, so it stresses them out and their kids end up in the foster care system. But all of those things you can relate back to people living in poverty, so that is what led me to doing the work at Tipping Point. 

“Part of being drawn to this also has to do with my experience at Cal State [East Bay]. I was one of those students who needed to utilize the student services that they had there, like short-term loans until your financial aid kicked in. Utilizing those services also fed into me going into a practice of service after I got out of school. Nobody in my family had ever gone to college before, nobody in my neighborhood had ever gone to college before. I had to utilize all of those services, and because of that I also wanted to give back to others.”