Self-sovereign identity grew out of a decade-long movement widely known as user-centric identity, of which Kaliya “Identity Woman” Young is one of the most distinguished pioneers. Kaliya started the Internet Identity Workshop (IIW) in 2005 with Doc Searls and Phil Windley. Held twice every year since then, IIW has been the birthplace of almost every major innovation in decentralized digital identity. As SSI has grown, it has attracted newcomers such as Infominer, a prolific (and anonymous) SSI writer and curator, coached by Kaliya (who has always supported bringing more talent into the community). Together, they have co-founded Identosphere.net. In this chapter, the two of them describe the fascinating evolution of the SSI community from its origins to the present. Obviously, this will need to be updated over time, but we hope this chapter gives you a broad perspective on where the SSI movement has come from and why it has gained so much attention.