Oakland, CA – On Sunday, the Urban Piece Movement is hosting a holiday edition of its signature community healing bi-annual pop-up event series, Scratch & Fade, at the West Oakland Youth Center. The event will feature nail and barber services, massages and acupuncture, crafting for all ages, kid-friendly activities, and more.
The Vanguard spoke with Kaila Mathis, director of youth programs at Urban Peace Movement.
“We’ll be providing free nail services, haircuts, also some acupuncture and some other wellness modalities that a lot of folks probably, either it’s not accessible to them or they don’t know it’s accessible,” Mathis explained.
As she noted, this self-care is especially important during the holidays with everything happening in the world.
Urban Peace Movement is based in Alameda County, primarily in Oakland. The organization focuses on youth leadership for disadvantaged youth as they hope to build and work and organize around the root causes of issues, the root causes of mass incarceration and also community violence.
“We do a lot of work around that. But also on the flip side, we use an organizing tool that we call healing-centered organizing. And that basically is just a combination of social justice advocacy with community healing and just figuring out ways to put the two and two together,” Mathis explained. “We also provide services for people that have been recently impacted by gun violence. We know that’s a difficult time for people, so we try to support folks all the way around.”
The term “Scratch and Fade” for those who aren’t familiar with hip hop culture has a double meaning.
“I love the name,” Mathis explained. “We are hip hop lovers. So that was the first thing that we thought of. We really wanted a vibe where it’s music and that feel. So when you think of DJ Scratching.”
She added, “And then also scratching, get your nails done and get a little face. So you just kind of a little play on words.”
Scratch & Fade fosters self-care, community, and fun for all Oakland residents. For any, nail and barber appointments serve as “gateway” healing practices—an accessible introduction to deeper healing and self-care. By offering all services free of charge, the event encourages guests to explore additional practices like reiki, cupping, and more, often for the first time. Our holiday-themed Scratch & Fade invites community members to relax, be pampered, and connect with others before the holiday hustle begins–promoting healing and wellness in Oakland communities that have suffered disproportionate exposure to stress and trauma.
The event will feature:
- Manicures and haircuts (appointments full)
- Massages with Dailey Massage Co., Reiki with Freedom Community Clinic, Cupping with Get Right Acudetox, and Acupuncture with Kokoro Clinic
- Family photos with Santa
- Holiday cookie decorating & card making for kids
- All-ages crafting including creating photo ornaments with Kollektiv Clay Studio
- Hot cocoa bar and light appetizers
- Complimentary gift bags made possible by generous donations from:
Oaklandish, Funky Door Yoga, The Herbal Ritual Apothecary, JARS Emeryville and Trader Joe’s Rockridge
- A decked out Christmas tree raffle donated by Knox & Ross Law Group
Kaila Mathis said, “I think it’s really important for us to have these events and specifically in these communities because a lot of times folks just feel like it’s not accessible or we feel like self-care can be self-indulgent when it’s like, no, you’re taking time for yourself.”
She added that “it’s fun for all ages. We have crafts for kids. We’ll be doing holiday card making and Christmas ornament making, but not only just for the kids, we’ll have it for adults too. So it’s fun, we’ll have a collective cake studio coming and they’re going to be teaching folks how to make their own ornaments with clay. So it’s going to be really fun. “
Link to sign up at the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scratch-fade-tickets-1076163216149
