IMPACT is on my holiday list because they've helped me see the power in myself. I took the LGBTQ Self-Defense Class in 2018 to feel prepared to defend myself from street harassment or sexual assault. What I was not expecting was to heal from my past experiences, to be friends with people who empower me, or to trust my body to defend itself instead of just lying down without a fight. 

This holiday season we feel so grateful to YOU, our community, for your support. It is only with YOUR energy, enthusiasm, and support that we are able to push harder each year toward the goal of a safer community for everyone. 

Please join us in celebrating OUR shared 2018 achievements!

I’m a confident black woman, but I’ve lived an overly cautious life because the world isn’t interested in my safety. History has taught me to be polite, protect my body, and be strong when it inevitably beats you down. All my defenses didn’t stop me from experiencing street harassment and an assault by a partner. I was tired and angry, so when a self-defense class was mentioned to me I jumped at the opportunity. 

I’m a strong, outgoing, and independent woman and have traveled by myself both nationally and internationally. On June 17^th of this year, I was attacked and beaten while I was on a run by myself in San Francisco. This random attack made me afraid to leave my apartment alone. I was surprised at just how much this brutal attack affected the way I moved in my world.

We hope your 2018 is off to a great start! It's been an exciting time for us - on top of offering our usual public classes, we've been busy bringing IMPACT classes to young people in schools and libraries from Palo Alto to Point Reyes! We're so thrilledl to have these opportunities to help young people find their voice and set healthy boundaries at a young age.

Keep reading to see what else we're up to!

Dear Community,

Thank you for being a part of the IMPACT community. Your support has meant so much to us this year. Over the past several weeks we have been sharing some inspirational stories from our graduates and now I wanted to share with you some of our accomplishments as an organization (below). I hope you think of these as your accomplishments too.

Also, I wanted to remind you that there are only FIVE MORE DAYS to support us with a 2017 contribution. Your tax-deductible gift will ensure that we can continue our work of building safer communities into the next year and beyond. You will be supporting our efforts to give more scholarships than ever, to support our upcoming suited instructor training, and many more projects we have planned. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW! I know that together we can build a safer community for everyone.

From as far back as I can remember, I have dealt with harassment from men. I've been assaulted...both as a child and an adult. I was stalked by a neighbor as a child, who would send me letters from next door and follow me any time I was out in the neighborhood. I later found out that at least one of my parents knew. For whatever reason, this was never addressed with the guy and I was left to grow up with a terrifying fear of being watched. The harassment only expanded as I got older. A couple years later, I was again stalked and eventually raped by one of my siblings' friends, who I'd catch following me and later began breaking into my room at night, where I'd wake up to him in my bed. I never told anyone for years. I was scared, I didn't want to make my sibling feel guilty, and I also blamed myself. I think now looking back, since I never saw my parents fight back for my safety...I never really felt like I could fight back for myself and I hated myself for it. 

I grew up believing the world was too dangerous for a woman to travel alone-- that I was not strong, brave or confident enough to go it alone. Thus, I knew I had to prove myself wrong and push my limits. For 18 months, I backpacked around the world. Alone.

During that time, I had some close calls, both domestically and abroad. Because I had previously trained in several martial art forms including Karate and Muay Thai I was able to cultivate a “don’t mess with me” attitude. But it wasn’t until I participated in IMPACT’s classes that my internal confidence and skills matched my external demeanor. IMPACT’s full-force self-defense classes blew everything else out of the water. 

I first took my Basics class in my early 20’s. I feel that it literally saved my life. It has not only helped me in potentially dangerous situations, but began a life-changing journey of healing for me.

When I was 5 years old, I suffered sexual abuse from an older man in my family's church. When women are abused as children, we often direct that harm inward as we become teens and young adults. That is my story. Self-hatred, self-sabotage, drug and alcohol abuse... and I often had unclear sexual boundaries with others.