Happy Lunar New Year From the Collaborative
Dear Collaborative members, friends, family, and supporters:
Happy Lunar New Year! As we enter the year of the Ox, we want to express our gratitude for your support last year amidst many challenges, including a global pandemic and anti-Asian violence. Together we have harnessed our collective strength, creativity, and legacy of resilience as immigrants and refugees to build and support the health, safety and rights of the nail salon workforce.
Image description: Video screenshot of a manicurist wearing PPE while doing a client's nails inside a salon. Click here for our nail salon walk-through video.
COVID-19 Response & Mutual Aid:
We helped over 400 manicurists apply for public benefits such as UI, PUA, Calfresh, Medi-Cal, and PPP.
Developed and distributed information on how to reopen your nail salon safely
Established the Nail Salon Community Care fund and distributed $200,000 to support nearly 700 manicurists. Please donate so that we can continue this effort!
Surveyed over 600 nail salon workers and employers with the UCLA Labor Center to document how they have been impacted by the pandemic.
Image Description: Gallery-view of a Zoom video call in which a group of volunteers and staff hold up their phones to their ears and call California voters and legislators.
Policy & Civic Engagement:
We called nearly 7,000 people to provide education on COVID-19, Census 2020, and GOTV.
Partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to host a Vietnamese radio show, reaching 400,000 listeners.
Launched our California Voter Engagement program to empower and educate members on their rights as voters, review the CA propositions, and help people register to vote.
Organized over 180 calls from our members to their state legislators to protect tenants from evictions during COVID-19 (AB 1436 and AB 15) and for the public disclosure of hazardous ingredients in cosmetics (SB 312).
Image description: A collage of 10 Vietnamese community members, varying in age and gender, holding up hand-written signs that say they support AB1436 and/or SB312.
We are also deeply upset and saddened by the anti-Asian violence in Oakland, San Francisco, and cities across the country. At the same time, the outpouring of concern and community care towards long term solutions makes us hopeful for what is possible. Over this new year, we commit to deepening our racial solidarity work to uplift one another and keep each other safe.
Lastly, earlier this month one of our long-time partners, the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay (VACCEB), was recently affected by a devastating fire. Please consider donating to their fundraiser to help them repair the damages so they can continue their important work in providing services to low-income immigrant and refugee families.
Thank you for continuing to be a partner and supporter in our work. Best wishes for a Happy Year of the Ox!
Warm Regards,
CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
