Self defense for all: Empowerment for marginalized groups
Club Anti in collaboration with instructor Kambri Briggs (name of Club Anti organizer, and location, is disclosed for safety concerns), offered a free self defense class, promoting that people who are BIPOC, queer, sex workers, non-binary, gender non-conforming and trans, are first priority for the class.
Through this free self defense class I learned a lot of helpful information on different strategies and ways to escape various cases of violence and harm. Although I will never know how I will react if I was brought into a situation where I need to defend myself, I feel more confident knowing that these practices will help me be a step closer to escaping these issues. It also brought comfort to know that taking just this one class could potentially help save me, and others who attend, from threats and harm. I think that more people should know that there are resources like this out there for them, and that people want to see you protected.
The process for getting a spot starts with reaching out to their email or Instagram to secure a spot. I was emailed a confirmation a few days prior to the event, then I received the location an hour before the class, a practice to ensure the safety of the location, hosts and participants attending.
There were seven people in the gym that night, but the space felt completely filled, through the energy, enthusiasm, eagerness, and empowerment that was brought from these practices.
We started off by doing some warmups and stretching, then went straight into some practices, starting off with a demonstration on how to escape a wrist grip. Before every practice we made sure to communicate with our partners our comfortability with each practice and how much strength we wanted to enforce for each demonstration. We also were given the option to opt out of some of the demonstrations that involved things close to choking, excessive force, or lots of physical contact, to make sure everyone felt comfortable and safe. Some of the practices included how to escape a grab from behind from the waist and chest and what to do in the case of someone attempting to choke you.
Although a lot of laughter and high spirits were shared throughout the night, everyone was still able to communicate and acknowledge how scary it was that these lessons were so necessary and beneficial. We as women, as minorities in general, are felt to feel like we need these self defense classes. We are shown time after time that the world wasn’t curated to make us feel safe. As minorities, we have to learn the hard way that we are constantly going to be put in these unsafe positions, and we must face that as a reality to prepare for it.
Marginalized groups need spaces like these not only for the education and tips they provide, but to recognize that we live in a very unsettling world, where harm can be brought to us in any situation, whether we expect it or not, and whether we’ll be prepared for it or not.
“The world is a terrifying place, but the only way things change is by doing something about it,” Briggs said.“If my classes can make a difference for even one person, then that’s what matters to me.”
These free self defense classes are held on the first Monday of the month.
“Attendees are able to attend as many classes as they would like and the goal is for students to join us multiple times so they can enhance their skills. Folks can sign up by emailing: lemonsquatter@proton.me.” said Club Anti Organizer.
