Our History
URGE has been activating and mobilizing young people for Reproductive Justice for over 30 years.
1992
ChoiceUSA is founded by Gloria Steinem, Kristina Kiehl, and Julie Burton in 1992.
2000
Under the leadership of Executive Director Crystal Plati, and in response to polling conducted in 1999, we become exclusively youth-focused, working with young people, young people of color, and young LGBTQIA+ people.
2004
We lead the March for Women’s Lives youth contingent—one of the largest protests in U.S. history.
2010
Under the bold leadership and strategic vision of Kierra Johnson, we focus our work on states where opportunities and challenges are greatest, reducing our national footprint in order to deepen our commitment.
2014
We rebrand to URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity to better reflect our position as a young people’s reproductive justice organization and our broader focus on gender justice.
2015
URGE launches Integrated Voter Engagement project to engage and mobilize young voters.
2017
URGE co-sponsors the Women’s March.
2018
URGE welcomes our new Executive Director, Kimberly Inez McGuire. Under her leadership, URGE contributes to record youth turnout in the midterm election.
2019
URGE ratifies our new strategic plan with a focus on power building, adopting a new mission, vision, and values.
2020
The JustCARE campaign, staff, and chapters join URGE—re-launching URGE California.
2024
URGE launches “We Deserve” our most ambitious voter engagement program to date.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Invest in Young People Power.
Your gift today helps us train Black, Indigenous, women, transgender, queer, and nonbinary young people to create and lead the way to a liberated future where everyone has agency over their bodies and relationships and the power, knowledge, and tools to exercise that agency.
