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The University of Michigan just did the most epic thing ever. The school is offering students self defense workshops in order to combat hate crimes, especially ones pertaining to Islamophobia.
“Each workshop will focus primarily on how to defend from attacks that are common in hate crimes, such as shoves, multiple strikes to the face, and scarf/turban grabbing,” reads the event description. Each workshop is three hours long and those participating are instructed to wear “regular clothing, not loose fitting attire.”
Maryam Aziz is the workshop’s teacher and also a graduate student instructor at the university. Currently, she studies black power, black arts, black popular culture, African American studies, people of color nationalism, gender and self-defense, and martial arts social movements. She’s also a second-degree black belt, the Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment’s chief self-defense instructor, and an “anti-hate crime and anti-Islamophobia martial arts/self-defense instructor.”
Aside from her involvement in the school, Aziz is working on creating a self-defense curriculum to help community organizations affected by Islamophobia
It’s amazing how colleges have been thinking of fun and unique ways to help their students. This workshop not only serves as a means of protection, but it also shows that the university cares about each student’s well-being, regardless of race or religion. Kudos to Michigan. We hope other college campuses follow suit.
[H/T: The Daily Caller]
