The Black Women’s Health Imperative is seizing the moment on Sept. 25 and launching “Me Period Day” to celebrate the bond between mothers, daughters, and womanhood. The initiative falls on National Daughters Day and serves as dual purpose: its goal is to facilitate open dialogue between young girls and the women in their lives about reproductive care and educate the masses about period poverty.
The Black Womens Health Imperative announcement states, “Creating space for Black mothers and caregivers to foster open, honest conversations with their daughters about menstruation. It’s a day to encourage young people to connect with their bodies, establish healthy habits, and become powerful advocates for their own health.”
As part of the celebration, the organization is hosting a special virtual screening of the documentary Me Period. The film features prominent Black actresses and mothers Tabitha Brown and the original Dreamgirl, Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Candid conversations about menstrual health and the inaccessibility of feminine hygiene products are integral to closing the health gap for Black women and girls.
According to Harvard Public Health, “Period supplies have become less affordable for more people over the past five years. There has been a reported 35 percent increase in people struggling to afford period supplies.”
The rising costs and limited supply of hygiene products pose risks for young women. Because of the stigma associated with discussing reproductive health, young women choose to wear tampons and pads longer than recommended by health professionals. The use of these products can lead to a host of infections, including toxic shock syndrome.
The problem not only affects health but also impacts education, as many young women forgo attending school due to a lack of adequate hygiene products. Tesia Zientek, a board member of The Kwek Society, an organization focused on providing tampons and pads to Indigenous girls, stated, that “Having a period and not having the supplies needed to manage that period, and then missing school because of it, only exacerbates educational issues that are already there.”
Luckily, more women are bringing attention to the issues surrounding women’s reproductive health and menstruation. Amber Wyyne, an HBCU graduate of Hampton University, began a campus initiative to supply period care products in all restrooms on her campus to ensure that a lack of resources would not affect student attendance.
For anyone interested in starting a conversation with the young women in their community, Black Womens Health Imperative provides a free toolkit on their website.
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