Get Home Safe: A Guide to Self-Defense and Building Our Collective Power

Grounded in her experience as a blackbelt, self-defense instructor, and globally recognized organizer, Rana Abdelhamid offers a bold, urgent roadmap to a safer world.

Abdelhamid wants every woman and survivor of gender-based violence to be able to defend themselves, and every community to build collective safety. What if we didn’t accept that it’s unsafe to walk home alone as a fact of life, but instead went out and created safe spaces for ourselves?

Through thousands of training sessions, she’s seen firsthand the strength we carry in our bodies, no matter our background or circumstance. Her revolutionary framework for finding that strength starts with emotional healing, then teaches physical self-defense and economic safety, and finally equips readers with organizing strategies to fight the systems that enable violence in the first place. A rallying cry and a practical guide, Get Home Safe will leave readers, regardless of strength, identity, or income, knowing they can fight back and reclaim power.

Rana Abdelhamid is the founder and executive director of Malikah, a non-profit organization dedicated to building safety and power for marginalized communities through self-defense education, financial literacy, and mental health resources. As a community organizer and social entrepreneur, her work centers on addressing issues of violence and discrimination faced by underserved communities. Her passion for social impact was sparked by her experiences as a survivor of a hate-based attack and as a child of immigrants growing up as a Muslim woman in New York City.

Abdelhamid served as the youngest board member of Amnesty International USA for six years. In 2022, she ran for U.S. Congress to represent her home district, mobilizing thousands of people around issues of housing and healthcare access. Her work is widely recognized, with accolades including the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, a NYC Council Proclamation, and the Truman Scholarship. She has been featured in outlets such as CNN, NBC News, and Teen Vogue. Rana holds a BA in political science and economics from Middlebury College and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.