Improvement Demands Change.

ASSERT Empowerment Self Defense is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to ending Gender-, Race-, Sexual-, and Ethnic-based violence and discrimination, amplifying minority voices into positions of influence, and boosting gender, racial, and ethnic inclusive representation in arenas in which their perspectives are crucial yet seldom heard or considered necessary, all through gender-inclusive, culturally relevant Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Education for all.

We achieve this by creating a network of community-based ASSERT Empowerment Self Defense Instructors within marginalized and underserved communities that promotes and offers jobs and careers in ESD, providing continuing education for ESD Instructors and others in related fields, promoting and supporting ESD Instructors and Program Grads in entering and actively seeking positions of leadership locally and beyond, and creating and supporting a platform in which members of those communities can become and be recognized as experts in their safety, security, and advancement.

ASSERT Empowerment focuses on providing Empowerment Self Defense education to communities across the country.  

ASSERT Instructors provides an Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Certificate Program for those interested in becoming ESD instructors or ESD Professionals and works to provide the financial and business support necessary to gain ESD and ancillary training that sets them on the path to changing perceptions, establishing themselves as experts, and working to become leaders in their communities.  

ASSERT Professionals is an Empowerment Self Defense service provider for civilians; NGOs and nonprofits looking to create safer protest and civil disobedience spaces and training for their staff, members, volunteers, and activists; corporate clients looking for team building and safety training and protocols, including Active Threat Mitigation training from natural disasters to force-on-force conflict; law enforcement and security companies and institutions – private and public, looking to reform and provide socially conscious, culturally relevant training to their officers with a focus on equity and human dignity; and special operations teams in need of supplementary close quarters combat training. 

Offerings range from trauma-informed and child-friendly ESD classes, high risk conflict non-violent de-escalation and home/work-place defense to edged weapons defense, firearms safety training, and firearms and weapon defensive tactics, based on the organization requesting our services—all based on empowerment self-defense principles. The main goal of the ASSERT organizations is to change the preponderance of Predator Culture in these spaces and engender safe, inclusive organizational structures that are collaborative and productive.