07/28/2026
Nobody chooses their first ZIP code.
Not the family they're born into.
Not the neighborhood that raises them.
Not whether they grow up surrounded by opportunity...or survival.
Over the past few months, I've realized something.
Almost every issue Scarlett cares about—poverty, addiction, abuse, privilege, war, education, inequality, resilience—can be traced back to one question:
What did this person's first ZIP code teach them?
This isn't about making excuses.
It's about understanding beginnings.
Because before someone became an addict...
Before someone became a refugee...
Before someone became a CEO...
Before someone broke a cycle that had existed for generations...
There was a child.
This article introduces what I believe will become one of the defining ideas behind Scarlett Says No.
I'd love for you to read it—and I'd really love to know what you think.
🔗 https://scarlettsaysno.com/your-first-zipcode/