Black Women Need More Access to Free Period Products

By Anissa Durham | Word In Black(WIB) – A small blue, purple, and yellow structure sits outside the office of Mamatoto Village, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit working to improve Black maternal health outcomes in the 7th Ward, a majority-Black community that struggles with poverty and violence.The little library-style pantry, the first of its kind, offers free reproductive health care products — a mix of tampons, body wipes, pads, condoms, lubricants, and condom instructions — to anyone who wants them. & Read More:& Breaking the Period Poverty Cycle& Called a period-product pantry, it is a small step in breaking the cycle of what’s known as period poverty. Mamatoto Village, supports women through their perinatal and postpartum journey, says Mariah Barnette, Mamatoto’s director of communications and development, says the team created the pantry when they noticed a persistent lack of reproductive health care resources for Black residents in the area. It was a big hit right off the bat.  Courtesy of Mamatoto Village.“We launched right before Thanksgiving break,” she says. “Half of our menstrual kits were taken and 80% of our safe sex kits were taken. To me, that’s already a great sign.”According to the& Alliance for Period Supplies, two in five...