EmPOWERed seeks to educate and train female students in the art of self-defense and equip them with the skills to advocate for their second amendment and self-defense rights both on and off campus.
- March 13, 2017 – Founded by Antonia Okafor
About EmPOWERed 2A
EmPOWERed is a nonprofit, founded in 2017 by Texas activist Antonia Okafor, that trains college-aged women in armed self-defense and equips them to advocate for their Second Amendment and self-defense rights on and off campus. Okafor, who grew up in Dallas and earned a degree in international political economy from the University of Texas at Dallas, previously served as southwest regional director of Students for Concealed Carry and helped pass and implement Texas’s campus carry law in 2015. That law took effect at four-year public universities on August 1, 2016, allowing licensed adults 21 and older to carry concealed handguns on campus, and was later extended to community colleges.
EmPOWERed debuted at the University of North Texas in fall 2017, with plans for a campus tour to reach women students elsewhere. Okafor drew national attention that year, speaking on the “Armed and Fabulous” panel at CPAC, publishing an op-ed in The New York Times and being named to Red Alert Politics’ 30 Under 30 list. She has appeared in NRA advertising and a PragerU video viewed more than 10 million times, testified before Congress, and has since worked with Gun Owners of America, teaching the EmPOWERed 2A program nationally. The program focuses on the idea that the right to bear arms is especially important for women who want an effective means of protecting themselves.
Key Facts
- 2015: Okafor helps pass Texas’s campus carry law
- August 1, 2016: Texas campus carry takes effect at four-year public universities
- March 13, 2017: EmPOWERed founded by Antonia Okafor
- Fall 2017: EmPOWERed debuts at the University of North Texas
- 2017: Okafor speaks at CPAC and is named to Red Alert Politics’ 30 Under 30
Sources
- New Women’s Gun Advocacy Group Highlights Popularity of Texas Campus Carry – The College Fix
- Antonia Okafor – Young America’s Foundation
- Interview with Antonia Okafor of Gun Owners of America – AmmoLand
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