Shama Ko has trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu since 2003 under Gracie Humaita in Austin, Texas, where she holds a brown belt. In 2010 she founded the Girls in Gis organization (building on an open-mat community started in Houston in 2009), turning it into a nonprofit that hosts free women's and girls' BJJ events across the country. Under her leadership Girls in Gis expanded to events in 25 US states with 14 chapters nationwide, creating a space where thousands of women have trained and connected. A photographer, writer and activist, Ko is one of the most important community-building and cultural figures for women in American jiu-jitsu.