The first NationalPeriodDay is this weekend. nadyaokamoto from periodmovement talked to us about launching a nonprofit as a teen, and continuing the work
on October 19 — a nationwide series of rallies designed to raise awareness of period poverty and menstrual health issues in all 50 states. Though World Menstrual Hygiene Day has occurred annually on May 28 since 2014, Okamoto and her team specifically chose a date within the high school and collegiate school years in America to maximize youth participation.
The decision to spearhead a national campaign was also partially inspired by Okamoto’s 2017 run for Cambridge City Council in her Massachusetts college town. “I became really passionate about housing affordability, and the prospect of student involvement in advocacy in Cambridge specifically,” Okamoto says.
Though her bid was unsuccessful, she came away with an important revelation about how shifts in cultural attitudes can lead to changes in public policy. Although progressive policy is “the end goal,” she stresses, destigmatizing taboos and encouraging dialogues around societal issues can lay the groundwork for a culture in which those policies can one day pass.
And for Okamoto, part of that dialogue includes talking about periods. After all, 35 states in America still have laws on the books that for inexplicable reasons. Okamoto believes championing the issue in public spaces and educating people from all walks of life can go a long way toward PERIOD’s end goals of progressive policies.
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