Gender Justice and Opportunity Initiative receives landmark support from #StartSmall

Gender Justice and Opportunity Initiative receives landmark support from #StartSmall

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“If we harness our collective power we can make an even bigger difference in the lives of girls,” says executive director Rebecca Epstein.

The Initiative on Gender Justice & Opportunity at Georgetown Law, which works to advance race and gender equity for girls and gender-expansive youth, has received an $800,000 gift from #StartSmall, Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic initiative for crisis relief, girls’ health and education, and universal basic income. It’s the largest single gift or grant the Initiative has received in their decade of work.

Rebecca Epstein, executive director of the Initiative and the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, said she is honored by #StartSmall’s unrestricted support to advocate on behalf of marginalized girls.

“It’s a generous testament to their trust in our work,” Epstein says, noting that the Initiative is completely donor- and grant-funded. “We appreciate that #StartSmall prioritized the needs of girls who have been so marginalized in law, research, and policy.”

Epstein explains that children face discrimination with little accountability by public systems, with Black girls especially vulnerable to both racial and gender discrimination.

“There’s no more powerful form of social justice than equality for young people, especially those who are pushed to the margin,” Epstein says. “Girls are traditionally both vulnerable and invisible; focusing on them is critical to achieving social justice for all.”

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