Name: Olivia Atienza
Social Justice Group: 2020-2021, Menstrual and Maternal Health
Date of Fieldwork: February 17, 2021
Person (people) with whom you met and their title(s) & Name of Organization: Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (co-founder of PeriodEquity)
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
We met with Jennifer Weiss-Wolf who is a co-founder of PeriodEquity, a lawyer, author of Periods Gone Public, and vice president for Brennan Center of Justice at NYU. It was interesting to see her view on the tampon tax because she know more about the law and policies. I clearly remember her telling us the the term “period equity” was originally only really used by policy-makers and it was not intended to be a part of the menstruation movement. I loved talking to her mainly because of her mindset. When we asked if there was something that the public should know more about menstruation, she said well there’s a lot but if they’re too squeamish and uncomfortable, they don’t have to listen. Then she added, they don’t have to listen, but they shouldn’t stop others from participating in the conversation. She also mentioned how writing her book helped her understand other people’s opinions on periods. She told us that having people to debate with and talk to opened up her view of everything. Because of her explanation, I am thinking of finding someone who thinks menstruation is “dirty/shameful/etc.” and interview them on their points. Overall, it was an honor to speak to her and I can’t wait for her next book!
