29 - My City Is My Assignment with Kintae Lark

In this episode we talk with Kintae Lark, the founder and owner of Inspiration Barber-Salon and Inspiration School of Beauty Culture. Kintae brings a unique perspective to this season because for him, life in South Bend has been anything but easy and yet his will to contribute is more palpable than most.Our conversation weaves through stories of Kintae’s upbringing and career that together illustrate first, why he chose to start a business in South Bend, two, how the challenges he faced growing up makes him a powerful and positive force for our city’s youth, and three, why he firmly believes that South Bend is “his assignment.” Towards the end of the episode, Kintae, in explaining his personal work and mission, shared a beautiful thought that resonates with many of our discussions this season: We need to be more intentional about helping people, especially who need to make it. That’s why you’ll see me hashtag all the time online ‘inspiration over dysfunction,’ or ‘we rescue ourselves.’ Nobody is coming in here with a cape or in a helicopter to fix our problems. As a city, if we want help, we have to help ourselves, at the end of the day. We’re waiting on a grant, we’re waiting on an opportunity, but what if the grant never comes? … What if the prince in shining armor never comes? We’ve still got to live. We’ve still got to build.