Megaphones are
Preventive Medicine:
Supporting Community Voices for
Health and Health Equity
Grantmakers In Health Annual Meeting
March 7, 2014
Vanessa Daniel
Groundswell Fund
Grantmakers in Health
Atlanta, GA
March 7, 2014
Direct Service
+
Organizing
Research
+
Organizing
Policy
+
Organizing
Communications
+
Organizing
3%
5%
6.4%
Lisa Fu
California Healthy
Nail Salon Collaborative
California Healthy Nail Salon
Collaborative
• Lisa Fu
• Program and Outreach Director
• GIH - March 7, 2014
Nail Salon Community in CA
• 60-80%
Vietnamese
• 95% Women of
reproductive age
• Average income
$21,800 per year
• Recent immigrants
• Long term exposure
to toxic chemicals
and products
Toxic Trio
Chemical
Health effects
Dibutyl
Low birth weight, cleft
Phthalate (DBP) palate, asthma.
Also used in
Glue
Formaldehyde
Increased risk for
Cigarette smoke
cancers of nose and
Embalming
throat. Burning, watering
eyes. Skin rashes.
Toluene
Birth defects, stunted
mental abilities and
growth
Explosives
Glue
Paint thinner
Reproductive Health Impacts
• Birth defects
• Miscarriages
• Difficulty conceiving
• Reproductive cancers
Other Health Impacts
Acute symptoms
Chronic pain
& illnesses
• Carpal tunnel
• Respiratory
illness
• Back pain
• Rashes and skin
irritation
• Nose and throat
irritation
Leadership Development and
the Salon Community
Building the leadership, decision-making, and power of
the nail salon community to improve
their health, safety and rights.
Reducing Toxic Chemicals:
Healthy Nail Salon Campaign
Community Leadership Development
Expanding the HNS Program
National Impact
Lisa Fu
lfu@cahealthynailsalons.org
www.cahealthynailsalons.org
Chris Peters
Seventh Generation Fund for
Indigenous Peoples
Anna Rondon
Navajo Nation
Division of Health
Megaphones are
preventive health
• Anna Rondon, Dine
• Navajo Birth Cohort Study
• Southwest Indigenous Uranium
Forum (1987)
• annarondon@msn.com
• Dine Peoples’ Megaphone
Worked!
Dine Peoples:
Example of Successful
Community Based Advocacy
• Dine peoples have been subjected to public
health determinants due to gross
negligence by the United States
government on the uranium mining legacy.
• The past 40 years there has been more
uranium impacted community based
organizing with citizens uniting and bring a
strong voice to the world. 7genfund has
been a critical collaborator that provided
organizing funds to the communities.
Congressional committee outraged over
Navajo uranium legacy.
First of four:
By Kathy Helms, Dine Bureau, Gallup Independent
WINDOW ROCK – A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the sound of an instrument
used to detect radioactive contamination, clicking away over a soil sample from Tuba City,
set a federal oversight committee on its ear Wednesday during a hearing in Washington.
Chairman Henry Waxman’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform heard from a
Navajo Nation delegation about the health and environmental impacts of uranium
contamination during a four-hour hearing.
Several congressional leaders expressed outrage at the federal government for allowing
such conditions to remain unchecked on Navajoland for so many years, saying they were
“ashamed” and “embarrassed.” They offered apologies to the Navajo people.
Resource Links
http://www.epa.gov/region9/superfund/navajo-nation/
http://www.latimes.com/extras/navajo/Day1/
http://www.sric.org/index.php
Like us on
FACEBOOK:
Navajo Birth
Cohort Study
Dr. Johnnye Lewis, UNM
Dr. David Begay, Cora Maxx, Teddy Nez, Malcolm Benally
Robby Rodriguez
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Community Voice
Ensures people
are part of
making change.
Mobilize
People
Issue
Environment
Develop
Leaders
Economies
of Scale
Polling
Tracking
Modeling
Tannia Esparza
Young Women United
We Respected ABQ Women
and We Won
55% AGAINST , 44% FOR
Creating the Respect ABQ Women
Campaign
Respect ABQ Women Steering Committee: ACLU-NM, NM Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice, Planned Parenthood of NM, Southwest Women’s Law Center,
Southwestern Women’s Options, Strong Families NM, & Young Women United
Campaign Long Term Goals
• Defeat the abortion ban
ballot measure
• Build infrastructure of data
management and
volunteers to last beyond
the campaign
• Build capacity of individual
organizations to maintain
access to repro health &
rights
• Build strength within key
legislative districts
Shifting the Narrative
on Abortion
• Shifted messages
away from polarizing
pro-life/pro-choice
frame
• Recognized values
already held by New
Mexico Families
• Decades working in
our communities and
in Reproductive
Justice
Shifting the Narrative on
Abortion
Together we acknowledged that:
– abortion is complex
– a family frame is necessary
– these healthcare decisions need to remain with women and doctors,
without government interference
Creating a Successful Media
Strategy
• Social Media
• Radio
• Earned Media
Field Highlights
•
•
•
•
Voter contact:
403,471 attempts
68,002 contacts
23,424 vote against ID's
•
•
80,000 + people voted
Brought 25% of voters
Ongoing Civic Engagement
State and
National
Elections
School
Board
Elections
November 2012
State
Legislative
Session
State
Legislative
Session
2013
November 2013
Elections
2014
HEFN
helps
funders
learn,
connect &
collaborate
HEFN Annual Meeting:
Oct. 27-28, 2014
Los Angeles, CA
www.hefn.org
for
greater
impact on
environmental
health &
justice