Amelia Diaz arrived in the United States from the Dominican Republic 40 years ago. While working in a factory sewing clothes, it was her dream to become a hair stylist. She decided to attend beauty school, eventually earning her cosmetology license. Not only does she have many of the customers she’s had since the doors of her beauty salon swung open 25 years ago, her customer roster continues to grow. Anyone entering the energetic environment at the salon is greeted with echoes of chatter and laughter from clients of different ethnicities, blow driers and water running in the wash basins. Those are a few of the sounds bouncing off the salon’s lemony and tangerine colored walls, covered with posters of the latest hair styles, mirrors and outreach information meant to be of help to those in need. The salon is opened six days a week, with one day set aside for a special group of customers.
A client’s true hair color may be the only thing that’s a well-kept secret at New Color Beauty Salon located in the El Barrio Section of East Harlem. What is no longer a secret to many, is owner, Amelia Diaz’s, generosity. Looking good is not the only thing that matters to Amelia. Doing something good to help others is much more important.
Shortly after opening the salon, Amelia started a clothes drive because she wanted to send clothes to men, women and children in the Dominican Republic. In light of the recent storms that have ravaged the country, Amelia prefers to send the clothes and cash donations to a charitable organization such as the Red Cross. In recent years, she found that some of her customers and people in the community needed help as well.
Valarie Codora, a 15 year old high school student, spends time in the salon getting on-hands training from Amelia and the rest of the staff. Valarie said, “My mother used to come to this salon. My mother passed away two years ago. My grandmother doesn’t help me a lot. So one day I came inside Amelia’s. Because Amelia knows what happened to my mother she was doing my hair for free. One day I came in looking terrible. I had on dirty clothes. I just looked bad. Amelia changed my whole life. She’s making me know what it feels like to be a kid again instead of me having the big responsibility of being by myself.”
Amelia, along with her daughter, a school teacher, went to visit several schools to introduce a program called Do Good, Look Good. Amelia strongly believes that uplifting a child’s self esteem will encourage them to do better in school and in life. She closes the salon very Wednesday to provide services for students only. Students from different schools come to get their hair done for free, discuss issues that concern them, and receive tutoring and help with their homework. Hayane Magree a former recipient of the program’s benefits said, “She told me I’m going to do your hair for free until you graduate from high school. She kept her word. She had her daughter here to help the kids with homework. She was there for everybody.”
According to other stylists and customers, Amelia shies away from talking about her generosity. If it were up to her she would love to donate her kindness anonymously, but there is no way her work can go unnoticed. Amelia feels she doesn’t do enough for others. She said, “I’m not generous. I don’t think I’m generous. I’m supposed to do more. I’m supposed to be better. God gives me a lot. He says love your neighbor like you. We don’t do it. We have to love each other a little more.”