Gratitude & Year-End Support

Self defense is: Having options. Self empowerment. Feeling and being powerful. Taking care of yourself. Trusting your intuition. Being verbal. Radical. Boundaries. Assertiveness. Finding safety. Awareness. Personal. Empowering.

— Women’s 6-week Self-Defense class, August 2015

Dear Community,

Hand to Hand Kajukenbo • Self-Defense Center, a non-profit organization, is honored to have served Oakland and the Bay Area for 35 years to date, positively transforming individuals and our communities through the teaching and practice of martial arts and self-defense. We are staunch peace warriors, taking the benefits of our personal growth and deepened compassion into the world at large: using our power for good!

We recognize that the significant impact we have had on our communities would not be possible without fiscal and in-kind support. We thank you for your support, from finances to good wishes, in the past. We ask you to consider a year-end contribution to Hand to Hand so we are able to continue bringing awareness and empowerment to our ever-expanding community of people of all genders and ethnicities.

We continue to prioritize accessibility to all by offering a broad sliding scale for our membership-based Martial Arts program as well as scholarships or classes free of charge for self-defense. We support the continued growth of our students by offering scholarships to attend national martial arts and self-defense training camps, and we foster them to become instructors and leaders within the school.

With your support, we can continue providing lower-income communities access to low-cost and free classes and workshops to better help adults and children protect themselves from verbal or physical assault, to understand the complexities and roots of violence and oppression in our world, and learn to become allies rather than targets or antagonists.

Please consider making a donation that is personally significant to you. Thank you for joining us in creating a peaceful, safe world from the ground up.

Gratefully yours,


Sifu Sonya Richardson
Head Instructor / Executive Director

Please note: You can make your secure financial contribution online or by mailing a check to the address below. All donations are fully tax-deductible.