Captions: Half of the world menstruates. And the average menstruating person uses over 9,000 pads or tampons throughout their lifetime, resulting in an expenditure greater than $2,000. Having access to period products is a human right, but then how is it fair for this right to be so costly and unaffordable for many menstruators around the globe? This is the issue of period poverty, affecting millions of menstruators everyday. It has no one identity or target, and can exist just about anywhere, from schools, shelters, prisons, you name it. And during today’s COVID-19 pandemic, period poverty has affected more people than ever. With a skyrocketing unemployment rate and demand for free and paid menstrual products, supply is limited, and accessibility continues to plummet. This is period poverty today, but doesn’t have to be period poverty tomorrow. You can donate, raise awareness, educate, and make a difference –– to give this human right back to half of our world. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Captions: We believe that a world without period poverty is possible. In a utopian reality, where menstrual equity is actualized, we’d see a few changes. First, menstruators of all gender identities would have access to free products, regardless of where they were and their socioeconomic background. Next, we’d see that even in the era of COVID-19, when people are losing their jobs and products are becoming increasingly scarce, menstruators would still be able to find places that are open and able to supply them with products. Finally, like in New Zealand, England, and Scotland, our government would prioritize public health, bringing forth policy to reduce and eliminate period poverty for good. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmmecoalition.com to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org to Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Captions: Have you ever noticed the lack of public access to menstrual products? Non menstruating people go into the bathroom expecting their basic bodily needs will be met. This is not the case for people who are menstruating. If you are a student or resident of MA you can help make these products more accessible throughout your state. Introducing the I AM Bill. If passed, the I AM Bill would provide free menstrual products to all 6th-12th graders in Massachusetts schools, shelters, and prisons. The bill also contains language ensuring that individuals seeking these products are never stigmatized for doing so. But to do this, we need your help. Join Mass NOW and the MME Coalition, advocate for the I AM bill, sign the petition, download the toolkit and submit your testimony. Now, more than ever, it’s becoming increasingly important to invest in public health. No one should have to choose between food, a roof over their head, education, and access to menstrual products. Yet public policy does not address the needs of menstruating people. With your help, Massachusetts has the opportunity to change that. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.com to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org to Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Go to mmecoalition.org to read the full transcript of the interview. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to -Join the coalition -Sign the petition -Request or donate menstrual products -Learn about the I AM bill to Increase Access to Menstrual products in schools, shelters & prisons -Download the advocacy toolkit to contact your legislators -Donate Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Leimary Llopez (YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts) and Chioma Ugochukwu (Harvard chapter of MME) discuss Leimary's journey as a menstrual activist and how her work has shown her how menstrual access truly affects everybody. Go to mmecoalition.org to read the full transcript of the interview. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to -Join the coalition -Sign the petition -Request or donate menstrual products -Learn about the I AM bill to Increase Access to Menstrual products in schools, shelters & prisons -Download the advocacy toolkit to contact your legislators -Donate Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Founded in 2019, the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition is nearly 300 activists working together to end period poverty statewide. We’re organizing to pass the I AM bill to end period poverty in prisons, shelters and schools statewide, put on Period Art Pop Up shows, Rallies & recently completed the Fall River Menstrual Equity Project. Learn more and join at mmecoalition.com. Video by Main Paige Media #periods #Periodpower #Boston #Massachusetts #policy #feminism

This video is an excerpt from the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Summit that took place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Northeastern University, including a keynote by Dr. Bobel. Chris Bobel (she/her) is Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has been researching, writing, and speaking on Critical Menstruation Studies for over 2 decades. Her most recent books include The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South (2018; Palgrave Macmillan), and the co-edited collections Body Battlegrounds: Transgressions, Tensions and Transformations (2019; Vanderbilt) and open-source The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies (2020; Palgrave Macmillan) To become more involved with the Menstrual Equity Coalition and learn more about MME, become a member, take action to pass the I AM Bill, or come to regular meetings, check out: https://www.mmecoalition.com/

This video is an excerpt from the Menstrual Equity Summit that took place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Northeastern University. Featured is the Panel on Mobilizing to End Period Poverty. The Panelists include: Ally Crays, Charlotte Powley, Eiko Lo Boria, Lacey Gero, Leimary Llopiz, and Aleza, Dariely, and Alice - moderated by Senator Liz Miranda (2nd Suffolk Area). Panelists: Ally Crays is a current law student at Northeastern University School of Law. She is studying Public Interest Law while also earning a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is a published author on menstrual equity legal advocacy methods and also serves on PERIOD.‘s Board of Directors. Charlotte Powley is a Public Health Professor at Brandeis and Simmons University. Charlotte’s research is in the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) field, looking specifically at U.S. policies that mandate the provision of pads and tampons to students. She focuses on themes of gender equality, bodily integrity and autonomy, student belonging, and students’ sense of identity and voice. Eiko La Boria was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and is a the founder of The Flow Initiative, a non profit fighting to eradicate period poverty, establish menstrual equity, and elevate gender equality. She serves as a United State of Women Ambassador for Gender Equality and an a member of the Equality, Period. NJ Coalition. Lacey Gero is the policy and coalition coordinator at the Alliance for Period Supplies. Lacey works with allied members across all 50 states to support legislative efforts that work to end period poverty and ensure menstrual equity. Leimary Llopiz is the Advocacy Coordinator for YW Southeastern Massachusetts. Since 2018, Leimary has worked with the YWCA to bring together students, community partners, & supporters to expand access to menstrual hygiene products & raise awareness about Period Poverty. Leimary is also co-chair for the Advocacy Committee of the Greater New Bedford Youth Alliance and the owner, and founder of Circle of Life Doulas LLC and Grief Means Love. Aleza, Dariely and Alice, six graders from Salem Public Schools who organized to make products free in all Salem schools last year as fifth graders. Moderated by Senator Liz Miranda (2nd Suffolk district). Senator Miranda is a community organizer, former youth worker, and entrepreneur who successfully ran for State Representative in 2018 to center those who have struggled when the government left us out of the conversation. Propelled to act after gun violence took the life of her brother, Senator Miranda has been a tireless fighter for families across the Commonwealth.