photo by Talia Hodge
Zinga Hart has always been compelled to lead. Born the oldest girl in a family of nine children, she found herself with adult responsibilities — cooking, changing diapers and looking after her siblings — at a young age.
“I was making dinner every night at, like, 5,” recalls the 34-year-old Akron resident. “Very ‘Matilda.’ ”
Raising kids as a kid changed her. From learning how to self-soothe to homeschooling herself through high school, it was difficult — but those trials pushed her in the direction of influence.
“She has a work ethic that is beyond comprehension,” says Torchbearers alumna EbaNee Bond.
Working since age 14, she’s on the board of the Empowering Queens nonprofit, serves as president of Kent Engaged and Emerging Professionals, is part of a writing group with the Akron Black Artist Guild and more. She also works full time at Kent State University as an academic program coordinator, is the mother of a 9-year-old, and as of 2024, is the newest president of Torchbearers Akron — an organization that aims to support, connect and facilitate the work of local young leaders.
“Service is so important. … It’s what makes a difference in our organization,” Hart says. “This is about seeing the best Akron could be and knowing in your gut that something could be done about it. … It provides community to get that done.”
Hart’s journey there started around 2014. She took an idea for an app that would simplify election information to Kent State’s Blackstone Launchpad. There, she met Alicia Robinson, founder of the women-focused nonprofit Limitless Ambition, who asked her to be president. Being selected to lead — to put others first — was familiar to Hart.
“A little adversity definitely helps shape a leader,” she says. “I wanted to try something new. I ended up being good at it, because to be a leader, you have to be reliable.”
They hoped to expand Limitless Ambition into Akron, so a board member advised them to join Torchbearers. During her first year in 2017, Hart joined a committee and completed service projects like painting a house and working at an annual cancer benefit. She joined the board in 2019 and eventually became the diversity, equity and inclusion liaison. In that role, Hart took the Torchbearers through a DEI implementation process — finalizing a statement, clarifying the organization’s values and identifying gaps.
The first time she was asked to be vice president, Hart turned the offer down. The second time, however, she reconsidered. The universe, after all, had asked her twice. She accepted — and became next in line for the presidency.
“It’s an honor. It’s history — first Black woman president. Other Black women have tried, didn’t get it. [Turning it down] would just be a slap in the face of those women, because I know them,” Hart says. “I could inspire a lot of other Black women to be like, I could do it too.”
During her time in the organization, Hart has worked to diversify the Torchbearers screening process and helped to facilitate its capstone project — in which Torchbearers work with Akron communities on projects like reconstructing an amphitheater in North Hill. While the budget is usually $10,000, under Hart’s leadership in 2023, the organization raised an extra $6,000. All the funds went toward creating an architectural draft for the North Hill project.
Hart hopes that the future of the Torchbearers bends toward connection. She wants the organization to become more involved with alumni — many of whom are now local leaders, including Akron mayor Shammas Malik.
“It’s important for America to have an organization that allows citizens to connect out of their self-silos,” Hart says. “That allows people to experience and explore all different facets. … Now we have this beautiful mosaic of members, opportunities and things to be.”
