
Who better to reimagine justice than THOSE who have experienced life without it?
I Am Why brings young women and gender expansive activists together with researchers and other partners to increase young activists’ individual and collective power. By celebrating their strengths and sharing their stories and visions for justice, young people lead the way to policies, practices and programs that work.
Why I Am Why?
Too often, girls, young women and gender expansive people—especially of color—are ignored or oppressed for demonstrating the very qualities they need to become healthy, powerful adults. Equitable systems and a just society must take a different course, celebrating and supporting qualities such as leadership, loyalty, courage and curiosity, and giving young people meaningful power over their own lives.
I Am Why is a movement for self-determination and justice that centers young women and gender expansive activists. Through individual stories, artwork, research and action, I Am Why’s young activists are reclaiming and re-creating their narrative. We are developing a collective vision of policies, practices and programs that center our humanity and power. We invite you to partner with us as we reimagine justice.

Why I Am Why?
Too often, girls, young women and gender expansive people—especially of color—are ignored or oppressed for demonstrating the very qualities they need to become healthy, powerful adults. Equitable systems and a just society must take a different course, celebrating and supporting qualities such as leadership, loyalty, courage and curiosity, and giving young people meaningful power over their own lives.
I Am Why is a movement for self-determination and justice that centers young women and gender expansive activists. Through individual stories, artwork, research and action, I Am Why’s young activists are reclaiming and re-creating their narrative. We are developing a collective vision of policies, practices and programs that center our humanity and power. We invite you to partner with us as we reimagine justice.
The I Am Why Blog
The State of Blackness and Our Relation to Change
For many people, February 2023 was a time to learn about Black history by uplifting important figures of the past and present-day times. At I Am Why our Justice Initiatives team decided to give reverence to Black culture by taking time to acknowledge the past while...
Mentorship + Emergent Strategies = Emergent Leaders
In I Am Why’s book circle, we focus on more than reading. We also grow our community through team building, which is part of I Am Why’s model of mentorship. The book circle reached a milestone in the month of January: We completed Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree...
She Writes: A Response to The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice
She Writes A Response to The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice, by Fania E. Davis Ani Bere A Enso Gya Asase Ye Duru Dear Ms. Davis, Our book circle has read your book, small but packed with so much power. We completed this read before the break of...
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