About Us

Jiu Jitsu Libre is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free martial arts lessons to underserved youth in the District of Columbia, with a focus on neighborhoods that have limited access to affordable and quality recreational services. Our mission is to empower young people with the skills and confidence they need to lead healthy, active lifestyles and build positive futures for themselves. We believe that martial arts is a powerful tool for promoting physical fitness, mental resilience, and social connections among young people. Our program provides a safe and supportive environment for youth to learn martial arts skills and develop friendships with their peers and mentors.

Our name is derived from Luta Livre, which means "freestyle fighting" in Portuguese. Luta Livre was created in the 1930s by Euclydes Hatem and was popular in the favelas of Brazil among the lower classes, who were primarily of African descent. In contrast, jiu-jitsu was initially a martial art of the middle and upper classes in Brazil, taught by the Gracie family. Jiu Jitsu Libre believes that martial arts should be accessible to everyone, regardless of social or economic status.

A couple years ago, in a small gym located in Washington, DC’s Chinatown, an inspiring group of martial artists came together with a shared vision of empowering at-risk youth through the transformative practice of jiu-jitsu. Their dedication to making a positive impact has given rise to Jiu Jitsu Libre, a nonprofit initiative aimed at providing free jiu-jitsu lessons to underserved children in the community.

Understanding the financial challenges we might encounter in the beginning, we actively sought support from local businesses, organizations, and the local jiu jitsu community who shared our commitment to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth. We received essential equipment such as mats and gis, ensuring that each child could fully participate and benefit from the martial arts training.

Recognizing the value of collaboration, we  formed a partnership with a well-established non-profit football program called The Woodland Tigers. Woodland is a small residential and industrial neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Woodland lies in Ward 8, among the poorest and least developed of the city's wards. Like the neighborhoods around it, Woodland is almost exclusively African American and a third of all people there were children or teenagers in 2015. We reached out to Coach Zanders, the driving force behind the football program, and presented our proposal for a partnership. Coach Zanders told us that it would be a tough sell getting youth out to the community center on Sundays to try an unknown sport, but as a former boxer, he saw the potential of martial arts as a means of empowering the youth, and gladly agreed to collaborate.

Every Sunday for over a year, we loaded up the truck with mats and gis and headed to the Woodland Community Center. We slowly went from five, to ten, twenty and eventually over fifty kids, some of whom had never even heard of jiu-jitsu, were taught the techniques, discipline, and values of the sport. Through jiu-jitsu, these children discovered newfound confidence, respect, and resilience within themselves. The success of this pilot program has fueled Jiu Jitsu Libre’s  desire to expand our reach and touch the lives of even more residents in the city. We aspire to create a larger, sustainable program that can serve as a vital resource for the community. Our ultimate goal is to create a lasting impact on the lives of at-risk youth in Woodland and beyond. 

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