Our Impact
At I_am_HUMAN, impact means action. Since 2022, co-founders Abby and Matthew Pollak have transformed small acts of compassion into national change. Beginning with distributing thousands of socks, beanies, and meals to unhoused neighbors and evolving into powerful advocacy for the wrongfully convicted. Together they have raised more than $150,000, freed the Waverly Two after 26 years of wrongful imprisonment, and launched a $20,000 I_am_HUMAN Fellowship to support justice-impacted young artists. Through art auctions, grassroots outreach, and partnerships with organizations like Life After Justice, Right of Return, and the Center for Art & Advocacy, I_am_HUMAN continues to amplify silenced voices and drive lasting reform in the fight for freedom and dignity.
Securing Freedom for the Waverly Two
For two years, I_am_HUMAN fought relentlessly to free the Waverly Two — two innocent men who spent 26 years behind bars for a crime they did not commit.
While serving as a Senate Page, Abby Pollak began advocating for their release. She contacted the Department of Justice, the Office of the Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Hoyer, White House staffers, lawyers, activists, Congress, the Speaker of the House, and Virginia officials, calling on everyone who would listen. Alongside their legal team and partners at Life After Justice and Not Guilty Serving Life, Abby helped carry their story all the way to President Biden, who granted them a presidential pardon in 2025.
In celebration of their freedom, Abby and the I_am_HUMAN team welcomed the exonerees to Times Square and recorded podcast interviews to amplify their voices.
Raising $100,000 Through the Power of Art
Art has been central to I_am_HUMAN’s advocacy and healing. Abby hosted art auctions at her home in Miami featuring exonerated artists such as Russell Craig (whose work is in the Brooklyn Museum’s permanent collection), Valentino Dixon (wrongfully convicted for 27 years), and Gary Tyler, a renowned quilt artist.
Through these events and other creative fundraising efforts, more than $150,000 has been raised to support justice-impacted causes — funding legal campaigns, community programs, and artist opportunities that challenge mass incarceration and inspire reform.
I_am_HUMAN Fellowship for Young Artists
To amplify the voices of those directly impacted by incarceration, Abby launched the I_am_HUMAN Fellowship for Young Artists, in partnership with the Center for Art & Advocacy.
This $20,000 fellowship, open nationwide to artists aged 18–24, provides funding, mentorship, and national exposure. The first fellow will be announced in December 2025, empowering a new generation of creators to share their stories and use art to drive justice.
Building Partnerships for Justice
We believe lasting change comes from collaboration. That is why we partner with organizations like Right of Return, which supports artists directly impacted by incarceration; Life After Justice, co-founded by attorney Jarrett Adams to free the wrongfully convicted and aid exonerees; and Not Guilty Serving Life, which fights to overturn unjust sentences. Through the Center for Art & Advocacy, we help fund and mentor young artists challenging mass incarceration, while our support for Billie Allen, who continues to create powerful art from a life sentence, underscores our commitment to lifting voices silenced by the system.
Working alongside groups such as Women Over Dinner, we have joined intimate gatherings inside prisons to listen, share, and help women prepare for life after release. These partnerships expand our reach and deepen our impact, turning individual acts of advocacy into a collective movement for dignity, re-entry, and systemic reform.
Inspiring Local Action: The Salvation Army
I_am_HUMAN’s roots in direct service continue to inspire. In New York and Miami, Abby and Matthew organized food drives, birthday meals, and winter outreach, delivering over 1,000 pairs of socks and 300 beanies, and volunteering hundreds of hours in shelters.
Their commitment sparked a wider movement: Salvation Army volunteer breakfasts have grown in reach as more people join, inspired by I_am_HUMAN’s example of practical compassion.
Our Roots
Before becoming a voice for the wrongfully convicted, I_am_HUMAN began as a grassroots effort to meet immediate needs. Distributing essentials, sharing meals, and offering dignity to unhoused neighbors laid the foundation for everything that followed.
Those early lessons still guide us. Every human deserves to be seen, valued, and free. From the streets of New York and Miami to the halls of Congress and the White House, we continue to fight for freedom, dignity, and systemic change.
Partnerships
We believe that change does not happen alone. Our partnerships are the backbone of our mission, allowing us to expand our reach, amplify our impact, and fight for justice on multiple fronts. We are proud to stand alongside these incredible organizations who share our commitment to freedom, dignity, and humanity.
Featuring Stories
Wrongful convictions are not just statistics; they are stolen lives, broken families, and futures denied. In this section, you'll find the human stories that fuel our fight for justice. Each one—from the artists who found freedom through their creativity to the wrongfully convicted who secured their release, is a powerful reminder of why we must never stop demanding change.
Join Us
The story of our impact is still being written. Stand with us as we continue to fight wrongful convictions and bring humanity back to justice.