Essays

Period. End of Sentence.

I wrote this post several months ago, but am publishing it now:

If there’s one thing that gets people excited about movies, it’s menstruation, am I right?? Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking, but I DO hope that after reading this post, I have motivated you to watch “Period. End of Sentence,” streaming now on Netflix. This short film won an Academy award in 2018, among other accolades, including an award at the Cleveland Film Fest. I’m very proud to say that my grandfather is the person who first told me about the movie, and I finally watched it, knowing it would be perfect for this month!

The film, directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, follows a local group of women in Hapur, India, as they learn how to operate a machine that makes low-cost and biodegradable sanitary pads which they sell to women at a low cost. This helps to improve hygiene and health as well as begins to shed the strong taboos and stigma in India surrounding menstruation. I knew of this phenomenon from the book “Periods Gone Public,” (which I discuss HERE) when author Jennifer Weiss-Wolf goes into extensive detail. Arunachalam Murugananthan, now a high-profile name in this work, is the creator of “the world’s foremost micro enterprise model: a manufacturing device and process for producing low-cost, locally made pads.” (Pg. 33). Period. End of Sentence shows Murugananthan demonstrating the use of his machine to the women in Hapur, who are then off and running. They start producing, using, and selling their sanitary pads. It’s cool to see a visual representation of what I read about.

Here are some other observations and what I learned from the film:

  • I knew that menstruation was stigmatized in parts of India, but I wasn’t sure just HOW taboo of a subject it was until I watched the movie. Men had no idea about the function of the menstrual cycle, what it was, or how often it occurred. They feigned ignorance at the mention of the word as well. Women and girls were embarrassed, bashful, and giggly when first asked about menstrual-related questions.
  • Many women didn’t know what sanitary pads were, or had never been able to afford them, before they started making and selling them. One of the women in the film says that “when there is a patriarchy, it takes a long time to talk about feminism, even among women,” and it also takes a long time for people to be able to talk about periods in both public and private spaces.
  • Women market and distribute their own pads. The women in Hapur decided to call their pads “fly,” because “we’ve worked very hard for women so we want them to rise and fly”
  • The process of marketing and selling pads is very community and grassroots based. Makers of the sanitary pads travel to different villages to demonstrate how to wear them and do absorbency tests. It was initially hard to sell pads to markets because they are so male-dominated, so the women began by selling door-to-door. Even then, sellers were greeted with a lot of laughter and embarrassment, but then women started to buy them, sometimes because buying pads from the store is seen as too embarrassing.
  • This is a first job for many of the women that are now making and distributing pads, and they are feeling financial freedom for the first time.

We know that stigma can lead to serious, harmful consequences. In “Periods Gone Public,” Weiss-Wolf writes that of 355 million people who menstruate in India, only 12 percent use any sanitary products at all (pg. 29), and goes on to say this:

“Entrenched stigma marginalizes menstruation and exacerbates the conditions of poverty, not only undermining the health and endangering the safety and lives of women and girls, but also curtailing their opportunities. This is, effectively, a denial of their equal chance to obtain an education, to acquire the tools to escape poverty and contribute to the economy, and to participate fully and productively in civic life.” (Pg. 31)

I really like that this film depicts a localized solution to the problem. Those of us who are not from India can’t fully understand the cultural stigmas and understandings around health. As Weiss-Wolf puts it, “in the case of menstruation, simple and local is very often a right-sized and optimal approach.” (Pg. 32) I think the best path for us to take is to support, advocate for, and cheer on the work that locals are doing in their own community, and do the same in ours. This leads me to my next blog post- I will be going into more depth surrounding menstruation in homeless shelters and prisons in the US. I do hope that you take the time to watch this film and learn more about this issue and innovative solutions.

For more, check out:
www.thepadproject.org

Sources:
“Period. End of Sentence”
Periods Gone Public by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

BLM May 2020

This is America. Don’t catch you slippin’ now. – Childish Gambino, “This is America,” 2018

“I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.”- MLK Jr, “The Other America,” 1967 (emphasis my own)

Well. Here we are again. No, that’s not right. Here we still are. In the midst of a global pandemic, America has come out of its homes in force to protest the killings of unarmed black Americans. Ahmaud Arbery- shot dead in February while going for a run NEAR HIS HOME in Georgia. It isn’t until the beginning of this month (May) that the video emerges, and arrest begin to be made. Breonna Taylor- shot dead by police IN HER OWN HOME in Louisville in mid-March. No arrests have been made. Tony Mcdade- black trans man shot dead last week by police in Florida. George Floyd- murdered by police last week after being arrested in Minneapolis. For almost 9 minutes, a cop restrained Floyd with a knee on his neck, as he repeatedly begged for his mother and told the police that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was pronounced dead within the hour.

Four lives, gone. And it just keeps happening. All of these precious unique sons and daughters are now statistics, added to the long list of black lives lost to police brutality and systemic racism. Amidst a pandemic that has taken the lives of over 100,000 Americans, thousands upon thousands of people have turned up to protest against these senseless deaths. Speaking of coronavirus, lest we forget that Black and Brown Americans are dying of the virus at disproportionate rates. If any of this is surprising, you haven’t been paying attention. There is SO much to be said and done about racism in America. I will never stop reading, writing, protesting, marching, crying, yelling, learning and unlearning in the name of social justice. It is not and cannot be the job of Black people to move out of their own oppression. Only the oppressors can do that. All white people benefit from whiteness. Does that make you uncomfortable? It should. So while there is much work to be done, I am providing a few simple things I can do as a white ally, and what I hope you do if you are white too:

1.) Unlearn/relearn the true history of The United States. Friends: the system is not broken. The system was built like this. Black people in America were literally forced across the world in chains, enslaved to the white man. They literally built the country. Our “democracy” was founded on a fallacy, our capitalist economy was built by slave labor. After the Civil War, as Reconstruction began, laws were put into place to ensure that Black Americans couldn’t receive adequate health care, education, or property rights. The Jim Crow era began. 5000 Blacks (that we know of) were lynched in the first half of the 20th Century. After WW2, we had bombings and rioting and sit-ins and civil rights marches and assassinations. Student leaders of anti-race movements were being killed. And then there was crack in the 80s and welfare in the 90s and police killings in the 2000s. Nothing has changed. If you think otherwise, your privilege has allowed you to remain blind to the systemic racism that is threaded into every facet of our democracy.

Most of us learned an extremely sanitized, uncomplicated, unnuanced version of slavery and civil rights in school. There are countless resources for educating yourself. There are wonderful lists of anti-racist literature to read. There are documentaries and shows and podcasts. It’s our responsibility as white people to unlearn what we have been taught, question why we aren’t taught the truth, And re-educate ourselves. Don’t know where to start? Watch the documentary “The 13th” and listen to the podcast “1619.” Believe me.

2.) Shut up and listen to Black people’s experiences. Just SHUT UP. We as white people have no idea what it’s like to live as a Black person in America. One of the most important things we can do is simply listen to Black people’s experiences. Yes I understand the irony of me, a white person, writing this. But I hope that I can use this medium and my privilege to lift up and amplify Black voices, and pass along their work. DON’T ask your Black friends to explain racism to you. We have been living in a racist country and have all the resources in the world that we need to educate ourselves. DO listen to them, sit with that experience, and understand their perspective. It is up to US as white people to end racism, but we can’t pretend to understand the true depths of it without amplifying Black voices.

3.) Call out racists. Call out your friend, your family member, your coworker. Language MATTERS. Language can be weaponizing. Speaking about people as if they are lesser than opens the door to treat people as if they are lesser than. When people are treated as lesser than, its easy for them to be perceived as less than human. When someone is perceived as less than human violence can be incited upon them more easily. When a whole culture has been poisoned by both subtle and explicit racist language for 250 years… well, here we are.

There is so much more that we all can and should do as white people, and, more importantly, as people who care about and love other people. Donate to the family funds of the slain, donate to Black Lives Matter, familiarize yourself with the mission and history of the movement. This is only the very beginning of the conversation. Sending love and JUSTICE to all. Black Lives Matter.

Mental Health Facts and Stats

Monthly Project- October 2019

Why is it important to spread awareness about the prevalence of mental illness? Well for one, mental illness can feel extremely isolating. Since you usually can’t SEE mental illness from the outside, it’s hard to know just how many people are living with mental illness. You’ll read this over and over on my blog, but one of my goals in life is to do what I can to de-stigmatize mental illness. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and it took me YEARS to even realize what I was experiencing, even though looking back the signs were so clear. I am now on an anti-depressant, have been going to therapy for years, and try to prioritize my well-being. Of course my depression and anxiety are always going to be part of me, but they don’t define me. I try to be vocal and honest about having depression and anxiety, and mention often that I go to therapy and take meds. Since I began doing this, I have had countless friends, family members, and acquaintances open up about their own experiences with mental illness. Suddenly, we both feel less alone, our compassion for others has grown a little more, and we see more hope on the horizon.

So, let’s look at some facts and figures. I am going to share my sources at the end of this post, and I plan to create an Instagram story with resources at some point this month as well (@annelyzethat). Unless otherwise specified, these figures refer to US residents:

* 1 in 5 US adults experience mental illness each year (about 46 million people).

* 1 in 6 youth (ages 6-17) experience a mental health disorder each year.

* Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-34.

* Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed, followed by depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder.

* Racial/ethnic minorities often bear a high burden of disability resulting from mental disorders. Black and Latino prevalence of depression tends to be more persistent than whites who experience depression.

* People who identify as being two or more races are most likely to report mental illness than any other race. Indigenous people tend to experience higher instances of PTSD and substance abuse than any other racial/ethnic group.

* 20% of people experiencing homelessness have a mental health condition, as well as 37% of incarcerated adults and 70% (!) of youth in juvenile detention centers.

* LGBT youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth, transgender adults are TWELVE times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.

It is worth noting that mental illness is often underreported, especially among men and those in marginalized communities. Women, non-whites, LGBTQ folx, and those living in poverty are more likely to experience discrimination in the healthcare field, or lack access to care. Because of complex factors such as structural racism, sexism, and capitalism, marginalized people are more likely to live in environments that increase the chance of developing mental illness, and are also more likely to face discrimination, thus perpetuating the cycle. Understanding structural barriers and their effect on individuals will help us advocate for better access to care. If you are feeling the weight of a mental health condition, I see you and I am here for you. Sending love!

Sources:

National Alliance on Mental Illness- http://www.nami.org

Mental Health America- http://www.mhanational.org

National Institute of Mental Health- http://www.nimh.nih.gov

You are not alone. If you or someone you know needs help, please call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24/7: 1-800-273-8255.