Justice + Joy National Collaborative is not just marking 143 years; we are honoring 143 years of defiance, vision, and transformative impact with and for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color.
This anniversary is more than a milestone. It is a testament to what it means to stand in unwavering commitment to those too often pushed to the margins, and to do so across generations, communities, systems, issues, and shifting social and political realities. Formerly known as National Crittenton, and still legally recognized as The National Florence Crittenton Mission through Congressional charter, our legacy is rooted in walking alongside girls, young women, and today, gender-expansive young people of color and their families. Not only as they survive, but as they rise, heal, lead, and redefine what is possible.
We were founded in a time when there were no safety nets. When women facing poverty, exploitation, or unplanned pregnancy were met with stigma instead of support. What began as a courageous network of refuge homes became something far greater: a movement that refused to accept injustice as inevitable. Over time, we have evolved from supporters of service providers to unapologetic system challengers, silo busters, truth tellers, and architects of equity.
Changing our name to Justice + Joy National Collaborative was not a rebrand, it was an unapologetic declaration:
Justice is non-negotiable.
Inequity must be confronted, not accommodated.
Systems must be transformed, not navigated.
Joy is essential, not optional, not secondary.
Joy is power. It is resistance. It is the audacious belief that girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color deserve not only to survive harm but to experience the fullness of their power, belonging, creativity, and possibility in their lives to thrive. Justice without joy is incomplete. Joy without justice is short-lived. Together, they are unstoppable.
For 143 years, we have acted on that truth. We have invested in the inherent brilliance, courage, determination, and leadership of girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people we support. We have shifted and expanded to meet the complex, intersecting realities they face. Not with one-size-fits-all solutions, but with deep listening, intergenerational activism, community partnership, and bold innovation.
Our impact lies in the generations who have found healing where there was harm. Opportunity where there were barriers. Power where there was silence.
But this moment is not just about reflection – it is a line in the sand.
Because the challenges before us are urgent. Systemic inequities persist. Economic instability deepens. Access remains uneven. And the stakes for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color and families we support have never been higher.
We move forward with clarity and conviction.
We will continue to disrupt unjust systems.
We will continue to center the expertise, leadership and voices of those closest to the challenges.
We will continue to build pathways that do not yet exist.
And we will do it with both justice and joy at the core, because anything less is unacceptable.
143 years is not our legacy. It is our launchpad.
The work is unfinished. And this moment calls for more than reflection — it calls for action. If you believe in a future where justice and joy are not privileges, but guarantees, we invite you to join us.
Your support fuels the programs, partnerships, and advocacy that make this work possible. These are impossible times for nonprofit organizations, and Justice + Joy is no exception. Each month can feel like a question of survival in an increasingly unstable funding landscape. Demand for this work continues to grow, even as support from traditional philanthropy is intermittent at best. We need your support like never before.
Invest in this legacy because the future depends on it. Make a one-time or monthly gift and power what comes next for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color. Join us in building a future where justice and joy are realities—not exceptions. Engage with us in what comes next. Together, this is how we advance and sustain social, political, and economic justice, expanding the possible for all.
The vision is not limited. And the future we are crafting is an intergenerational one where justice and joy are not rare. They are realized, sustained, and shared by all.
P.S. We leave you with this gift – an uplifting and authentic story that celebrates and exemplifies the power of opportunity, healing, and the transformative power of justice combined with joy to change the world. Watch here.
