At this East Oakland salon, violence prevention starts with self-care
One recent Monday, Britney Freeman’s back hurt. So did her muscles, her joints—everything in her body. The single mom and professional matchmaker didn’t know if she’d make it to The Self-i.s.h. Society, a hair salon and community space in East Oakland, where she’d been practicing vulnerability within a group of relative strangers all summer. But she did some stretching and deep breathing exercises at home, even danced a little, and showed up.
Freeman and other participants sat close together on plush couches and chairs, forming a healing circle as part of the nonprofit’s Get Self-ish Project. They surrounded a table offering an assortment of objects, including a turtle stuffie, to pick up whenever they wanted to talk. Co-facilitator Reuben Roberts led the group in a grounding exercise to start. Everyone closed their eyes and took three breaths in an effort to be present.
“Focus on what matters,” said Roberts, a restorative justice practitioner. “What matters is you. Get selfish.”
Tucked away on the corner of Seminary Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, absent of signage, The Self-i.s.h. Society can be easy to miss. Once inside the golden-hued space, however, it’s hard not to feel seen. Social worker and cosmetologist Jessica Scortt Bell founded the nonprofit to create a safe space for accessible, holistic self-care. She does this through programs and pop-up events with local partners, believing community transformation can happen when people take the time to focus on themselves. The i.s.h. stands for “identity, support, hope.”
“Healing is a lifelong journey and a lifelong commitment that has to be renewed, sometimes daily. Realistically we just can’t do that on our own,” Bell said. “Especially when systemic challenges like poverty or racism are stacked against us, healing can be very difficult to prioritize.”
The Get Self-ish Project came from a desire to give Oakland residents the opportunity to focus on healing in their community, without the weight of guilt or a hefty price tag. In February, the city of Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention awarded Bell a $15,000 grant to support free appointments for hair, nails, and massages as well as healing circles for 12 weeks. The circles incorporated art and music, with themes ranging from self-love to trauma responses to support systems.
“A healing circle is an Indigenous practice, something the ancestors did prior to colonization. It’s a way for people to get back to that sense of a village,” Roberts said. “The real magic is how contagious it is to practice vulnerability and share your story. Because the gift is being able to see yourself in somebody else’s shoes.”
The project ran May-July of this year. Participants could also access a case manager, financial literacy coach, and therapist as well as Caribbean dance classes. While Bell could accommodate 12 Oaklanders, six ended up participating. She sees it as a blueprint for more to come.
