“So that nobody ever has to kneel on the floor picking up dishes somebody else threw in anger.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes going bright.

Before the first class began in the new space, I stood and looked at the line of women in front of me. Students. Tired mothers. Professionals. Retirees.

Survivors. Some were trembling. Others were lifting their chins for the first time in their lives.

I took my place at the front.

“We didn’t come here to learn how to hate men,” I said, my voice carrying across the room. “We came here to learn that no one has the right to control our bodies, our money, or our voices.