Menstrual Equity: Practical Action to Public Policy
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Saturday, Aug. 4 4:30 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Saturday, Aug. 4 5:15 PM (Eastern)
The cultural stigma around menstruation has impeded the implementation of good public policy, allowing the fundamental needs of the impoverished and incarcerated to be ignored. We need to address why menstrual supplies are not provided as freely as other products our society deems “essential.” Communities should continue to focus on practical solutions; however, we also need smart public policy mandates to regulate government, corporations, businesses, schools, prisons and jails. Join us to learn about the evolution of the Menstrual Equity Movement and and how a partnership between grassroots advocates, national leaders and state legislators successfully created sustainable, long term, institutional change in Virginia.
Moderator
Catherine Read
Catherine Read has a BA in Government & Politics from George Mason University. She’s a well-known speaker, emcee, moderator and facilitator here in the Washington DC Metro area. She sits on the Board of Directors of Equality Virginia, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC, Virginia’s List, and Britepaths. She hosts two local television shows every week: Inside Scoop and Your Need to Know, which can be viewed at www.ReadThinkAct.com
Panelists
Holly Seibold
Holly Seibold is the Founder and Executive Director of BRAWS (www.BRAWS.org). Since January 2015, Holly and her team have distributed over two million period products and undergarments to women and girls in crisis. Prior to launching BRAWS, Holly was a classroom educator and the owner of a small business specializing in STEM education.
Holly is a fierce defender of women and girls, advocating for the passage of smart public policy. She has participated in several panels, including Netroots Nation 2018, “Menstrual Equity: Practical Action to Public Policy” and Congresswoman Grace Meng’s, “The Case for Menstrual Equity: How Policies Surrounding Menstruation Affect Outcomes for Women.” Holly’s work has been featured in multiple news outlets, including the Washington Post’s “The Once-Whispered Topic of Women’s Menstruation Now Has Political Cachet.”
Holly leads the Virginia Menstrual Equity Coalition and serves on the Board of Directors of the Vienna Business Association, where she is the chair of the nonprofit, social outreach, and youth committees. Holly was named the 2017 Emerging Influential Leader of the Year by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Rising Star Heroine of the 2017 Heroines of Washington Awards.
Holly is a graduate of George Washington University with a M.Ed in Elementary Education, as well a B.A. in the interdisciplinary study of Communications, Law, Economics and Government from American University in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of the 2018 Emerge Virginia program. Holly lives in Vienna, Virginia with her husband, Erik, and two children, Morgan (11) and Matthew (8).