Mission
Safe Chair's program Malak’s Women’s Collective is a community health initiative dedicated to empowering women of color in underserved neighborhoods through accessible, preventative health education. In partnership with local beauty salons, we focus on increasing awareness around breast and cervical cancer, while connecting women to free and safe health screenings in their communities. We believe that lasting change begins with small, informed steps — and that every woman deserves the knowledge and resources to care for herself and her family.
Our Story
My name is Diba, and this work is deeply personal.
I come from a Persian family where women’s health is deeply valued but often not openly discussed. That changed when a close family memebers was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, she knew the warning signs and was able to catch it early, receive treatment, and go into remission. Her experience made me realize how powerful knowledge and access can be. I want to help other women of color, especially those who may lack the time, resources, or support to learn about basic preventative care for breast and cervical cancer. I also aim to connect these women in low-resources communities with free, safe community resources for mammograms and pap smears. Since May 2025, we have started to train local hair salons to provide this information using visual posters in English and Spanish.
More recently, I lost my grandmother, Malak — a woman who embodied strength, resilience, and self-discipline. She became a widow at 43 with five young children, including my mom, and raised them alone with quiet determination. Though she had limited means, she built a life rooted in intentional health — daily walks, nourishing meals, and early sleep. Those habits gave her nearly a century of strength, and even in her final days, her doctors marveled at the health of her brain and body.
Her legacy now lives on in this work.
In May 2025, we began training beauty salons in local communities to share visual resources — in both English and Spanish — about breast and cervical cancer prevention. These salons are trusted, familiar spaces where women feel seen and cared for. By transforming them into hubs of community health, we make essential knowledge accessible, welcoming, and stigma-free.
We’ve renamed the Palo Alto Women’s Collective to Malak’s Women’s Collective to honor the woman who showed me what it means to lead with heart, discipline, and grace. The official project name remains Safe Chair, but our collective now carries Malak’s name — and her spirit.
This is for her. And for every woman like her.
With love,
Diba
