Name: Jemma

Social Justice Group: Menstrual Health

Date of Fieldwork: November 18, 2017

Name of Organization: Period. The Menstrual Movement

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Nadya Okamoto-President and founder, Ingrid Nilsen- youtuber and period activist, Grace Meng- U.S. congress woman, Demaris Lewis- Model and period activist, and many many more people (those were the ones who stood out)

Type of Fieldwork: We went to Period Con and learned about different organizations

What I did:

I watched panels, got merchandise, met people, and learned about a bunch of organizations.

What I learned:

A lot of people feel uncomfortable hearing and talking about menstruating. Another thing I learned is that you can’t refer to menstrual products because of people who don’t identify as female and you shouldn’t call it hygiene because that’s like saying something is dirty and needs to be clean as opposed to staying clean.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

Through the fieldwork, I learned that no matter how uncomfortable talking about certain topics may be, they all need to be addressed. Also, many people start focusing on a certain topic based on a personal experience. But some people also just think the problem should be addressed. Also, you don’t need to create an organization or be a part of one to make an impact. Many people just make an impact on a personal level. Also, it is a human right to have access to have access to these products because they are used to help you stay clean.