Want to be ready to respond with confidence if someone says or does something rude, disrespectful, or threatening to you?

Then you're in the right place.

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/475fdd94-6888-4446-a770-3bd26499f6c6/DYhand.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/475fdd94-6888-4446-a770-3bd26499f6c6/DYhand.png" width="40px" /> Empowerment and Self-Defense for BIPOC is a 3-week course that equips Black, Indigenous, and people of color with practical skills to protect themselves in daily life.

This program will be delivered live virtually via Zoom.
First class is Saturday, Sept. 25. **

Reserve Your Spot Now →


Sign ups close Thursday, Sept. 23 or when all the spots are filled.

Classes will be delivered live via Zoom.

1st class is Saturday, Sept. 25 2021.

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This course is brought to you by Defend Yourself.

We've trained 35,000+ people to protect themselves from harassment, abuse, and assault.

You deserve to feel safe


No matter where you are—at home, at work, at school, walking down the street at night—you deserve to feel safe.

Yet Black, Indigenous, and people of color experience higher rates of violence than other groups.

Leaving us feeling fearful for our safety ... just for existing in our own bodies.

On top of this, too often, we're made to feel small. Pushed to stay quiet. Especially in the face of violence.

Violence such as uninvited comments about our bodies, racist and sexist slurs, unwanted touch, or even physical assault.

Unfortunately, this violence can come from anyone: a partner or other family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, an acquaintance, or someone you pass on the street.

Which means to protect ourselves we have to be ready to respond in the moment.

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Say no more to feeling frustrated and helpless...

...in emotionally draining conversations with people who don’t respect you.

...if someone tries to physically attack you, or other problematic situations.


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Now if someone cat-calls you on the street or drops a micro-aggression in conversation, it’s not your fault.

That behavior is completely on them. The responsibility lies with the person who harassed, abused, or attacked you.

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So if it is on them, why might you learn to protect yourself?

First, you simply shouldn’t have to wait around for other people (and systems) to change to be able to live your life free from fear.

Let’s focus on what you can control: the skills you can learn and develop to protect yourself.

Second, you deserve to feel—and be—safe.

Studies show that learning skills to protect yourself helps reduce anxiety and fear.

Better yet? It helps boost your confidence.

You’ll move through the world feeling a lot less afraid.

Studies also show that people who learn these skills are less likely to experience sexual assault or attempted sexual assault.

If something does happen, you’ll be more prepared to prevent an uncomfortable situation from escalating to a dangerous one.

We’ll give you practical tools to use in the moment


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You'll know what to say and do if an uncomfortable situation or an attack takes place.

You don't have to suit up

When we talk about protecting ourselves, many of us think that means having to suit up and attend a martial arts class in a stuffy old gym.

Empowerment and Self-Defense for BIPOC isn’t like that. We prepare you for real-life situations**.** Not a sparring match or a tournament.

Learn a physical and verbal self-defense skills

We use an evidence-based approach called Empowerment Self-Defense. This gives you both verbal and physical skills to empower yourself in the face of violence.

It’s based in a social-justice framework. This means we take into account the realities of what it means to exist within systemic harm, such as patriarchy and white supremacy.

Prepare for real-life situations

This means you’ll learn and practice responding in the moment to everything from rude or disrespectful comments to full-on attacks in real-life situations.

Such as with a family member, friend, co-worker, or someone random on the street.

Show up fully as you are to learn, heal, and claim your confidence with us.

The best part? You don’t need to throw down Lucy Liu’s moves or be an athlete to protect yourself using Empowerment Self-Defense.

No matter your size, physical ability, fitness level, or health—there are things you can do to make yourself safer.

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/82288308-a69c-414f-817e-bc4b3375d50d/Screen_Shot_2021-08-13_at_12.18.20.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/82288308-a69c-414f-817e-bc4b3375d50d/Screen_Shot_2021-08-13_at_12.18.20.png" width="40px" /> You’ll find this program especially useful if you can relate to any one of these situations.

You:

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/fbecac29-34d3-47ee-89b2-560e90f2364d/DYheart.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/fbecac29-34d3-47ee-89b2-560e90f2364d/DYheart.png" width="40px" /> Reserve Your Spot Now →

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Here’s what some our 35,000+ students have to say about learning these skills with us: