Founded as a nonprofit in 2020 in Nashville, TN, but actively working toward preventing and ending discrimination-based violence since 2004, ASSERT Empowerment Self Defense’s vision is a future of empathy, empowerment, safety, and engagement from and for people all over the world. Our mission is the empowerment of women and children, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and members of marginalized communities to develop and hold healthy relationships, work to end gender, sexual, ethnic-, and race-based violence, and become influencers and leaders in spaces affecting the quality of their health and safety – but in which their voices have been historically silenced and ignored, is a crucial step in achieving this goal.

We believe in four pillars of empowerment – Personal Power, Community (Solidarity), Amplified Voices, and Evolving Cultures – and that these are an inextricably linked system essential in ending Predator Culture. Our strategic priority is to address all four throughout the different stages of our programs, beginning with personal empowerment through self-defence practice and education supported through community education and participation, leading to the amplification of marginalized voices in critical spaces and culminating with cultural engagement centred around creating and establishing new, healthy traditions in terms of gender roles, respect, equity, and human dignity.

Our goals are:

1. Nurture Individual’s Inner Strength, Self-Worth, and Confidence through education, compassion and empathy.
2. Increase intracommunity support and encourage inter-community engagement.
3. Educate Community Leaders in critical thinking, empowerment, openness, and empathy and amplify their influence.
4. Model new, more inclusive culturally relevant traditions that can replace old patterns of intolerance and subjugation.