Period Y’all helps end period poverty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The national nonprofit Alliance for Period Supplies reports that one in three low-income women misses school or work because they lack access to period products.

One Kentucky woman is fighting to change that by focusing on communities in eastern Kentucky.

Skylar Davis’ heart is and will always be in Appalachia.

“It really shaped my resiliency and who I am today,” said Davis. “For most of my life, we didn’t have a grocery store in our town.”

But for the Lancaster native, having a grocery store in town is a lot deeper than a far drive.

“If you don’t have a car or a way to get to a store, then you’re not able to get the products that you need,” said Davis. “In more rural areas, that can be hard to do.”

That’s why Davis travels all across the state, meeting people where they are.

She collaborates with local groups, such as the feminist club at the Francis Parker School of Louisville, to set up a period pantry at the Americana Community Center, offering 24/7 access to free menstrual supplies.

“We’ve actually been having a lot of kids in the community who will come to the pantry,” said Mina Rosalina Kim, a youth coordinator at the Americana Community Center. “I think a lot of the girls are too scared to have the conversation about menstruation and periods and women’s health and development, which is really genuinely hurting us as women.”

But her work is taking her far and wide: from Letcher County all the way to Paducah, now pushing for change in Frankfort.

She is advocating for House Bill 95, a legislative proposal focused on increasing access to feminine hygiene products in Kentucky schools.

“I believe that women and people who have periods deserve human dignity at the end of the day,” said Davis. “We shouldn’t be paying an extra cost because we have a period. That’s absolutely insane.”

Davis is one of two plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state, arguing that state law already exempts many medical devices from sales tax.

“I started my period in fifth grade, and each year it has added to my cost of living,” said Davis. “Just because I’m a woman and this is an unfair burden placed on us because we have a period. These are medically necessary devices.”

You might find Davis at a metal concert, actively working against the stigma of menstruation, or constructing the next period pantry in a mountain community.

“We understand that we can do direct service all day long, but when we address the root cause of the problem, then we can have more impact,” said Davis.

An impact now reaching some of the state’s most overlooked communities.

Period Y’all distributed more than 40,000 period products last year to 100 Kentucky schools across 51 counties in the Appalachian region.