NEW ORLEANS — The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arber in 2020 led to a summer of racial reckoning. The country was on lockdown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and everyone witnessed cell phone or body camera video capturing the unjust tragedies.
They also caught the attention of Marty Mayer, who then was the CEO of Stirling Properties, a commercial real estate company across the Gulf South.
It was then Marty decided he couldn’t stay silent any longer. He penned a letter called “Just One Voice,” speaking publicly about these racial injustices for the first time. He wanted to add his voice to the conversation but didn’t know how he could help make a difference. The letter went viral and was met with mixed reactions.
WWL Louisiana contacted Marty during that time to ask why he decided to write the letter. He shared his thoughts with Charisse Gibson as part of our series: “The Talk: A Hard Conversation About Race.”
The letter asked how he could help transition over the years into action with the announcement of a nonprofit organization called “Just One Voice.” He says he plans to use his experience, connections, and funding to partner with organizations that have dedicated themselves to helping underserved youth.
Leaving his role as CEO behind and embracing his new position as a “dot connector.”
“I have met some people who are doing amazing work at the ground roots level that I can't do myself,” says Marty. “It's not work I can do but I felt like I can help connect them to other people. I can help amplify their voice. I can help them do more through the connections and the resources. It is just one voice, doing something, doing where one person can do something for somebody else. And then that spreads.”
Prior to the announcement of his nonprofit, Marty had already begun charting a new path toward understanding. WWL Louisiana followed along as Marty connected fellow CEOs with members of the community. Members they wouldn’t otherwise share space with.
Just One Voice Nonprofit kick off
He sees these conversations as a way to build bridges, using them to find common ground and understanding. Since then, he's met with several young people. Careful to approach their conversations with an open heart and a listening ear without judgmental thoughts.
“Just the fact that you spend time to ask them and show interest in their life,” says Marty. “I started thinking, well, if I can spend an hour, then maybe during that hour I can help them figure out well, what can I help them do next? How can I help them open doors to other possibilities that they don't see?”
One of the first conversations that would prove influential to Marty’s understanding of people who didn’t look like him was with Antonio Travis. We introduced the two men as part of our “The Talk: The Conversation Continues” series. Marty and Antonio were far apart both in age and experience. The conversation, though, proved to be pivotal and led to a friendship that continues to this day.
“It shows me that, the talk really mattered. He applied. He took from an experience and walk of life that he's not from and turned it into something tangible for people to do for others,” says Travis.
Just One Voice has already started groundbreaking work with one of the first benefactors: Northshore Robotics.
After meeting the company’s President, David Shapiro, they discussed ways to introduce the programs to those who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity.
“His passion is teaching robotics to these underserved communities, because robotics opens up so many doors to terms of skills and coding and things,” says Mayer. “One of his goals is he was trying to establish a startup program of teaching robotics at the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center. The Executive Director told me those kids are so excited about it which just warmed my heart. I can’t wait to follow their stories, where does this take us?”
It's just the beginning of a new chapter in Marty’s life. He says the butterfly effect has led to Just One Voice assisting programs working with youth sports and leadership training. While the programs he connects with do receive funding, he finds it takes a deeper connection to solve societal problems.
“I could have written a check in to these organizations and they might have been successful or might not have. But I found that getting involved and spending time getting connected. The connection, in many cases, I thought was more relevant than even just the funding.”
Now that he’s at it full-time, Marty says he’ll continue to use his voice to amplify some of the voiceless. He hopes to serve as one of just many guiding lights for our city’s youth who are sometimes forced to navigate complex issues. As a dot connector, he wants to also help them connect the dots along the way.
To learn more about Just One Voice you can visit Just-One-Voice.org.
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