By: Richard L. Smith
The Honorable Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, representative of New Jersey’s 29th Legislative District, and The Flow Initiative - a local organization dedicated to eradicating period poverty and accelerating access to menstrual health products - announced New Jersey’s first-ever Menstrual Health Equity Summit set to occur on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
The summit will occur in person from 12 pm to 4:30 pm at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.
According to officials, during the summit, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about a wide range of women’s health issues, including menstrual health equity, menstrual disorders, menopause, and other topics.
To date, speakers include the following influential voices and advocates:
* Tammy Murphy, First Lady, New Jersey * Shanique Speight, Assemblywoman, New Jersey’s 29th Legislative District * Eiko La Boria, Founder and CEO, The Flow Initiative * Sabrina Browne, Partner, The Flow Initiative * Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Menstrual Equity Advocate and Author of Periods Gone Public * Lynette Medley, CEO, NoMoreSecrets * And more to be announced!
To address growing women’s health concerns in New Jersey, First Lady Tammy Murphy launched Nurture NJ, a public campaign to halve maternal deaths and eliminate the racial gaps in outcomes here — among the nation’s highest — by 2025.
In tandem, Assemblywomen Speight and other female legislators have been working diligently to raise awareness of the lack of menstrual health access and close the gap for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
“As a legislator, I am proud to lead the way in New Jersey when it comes to menstrual health and launches the first-ever Menstrual Health Equity Summit with The Flow Initiative,” said Assemblywomen Speight.
“Having drafted a legislative package of 21 bills all centered around menstrual health, I consider this summit the launch pad for these bills to gain exposure and support from the general public.”
In addition to legislative action, grassroots organizations such as The Flow Initiative are essential to ensure all menstruating people continue to receive menstrual products and resources.
The Flow Initiative has distributed more than 750,000 products to women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, founded by Eiko La Boria. To strengthen the organization’s mission, The Flow Initiative partnered with Sabrina Browne, a period poverty advocate, spearheads organizational partnerships and increases consumer awareness nationwide.
La Boria and Browne have worked with various local and national partners to address menstrual health issues.
“Since the beginning of time, menstruation has been weaponized as a means to punish, humiliate and undermine.
Our bodies have either been ignored or regulated, hardly ever respected. It is time to normalize menstruation and establish pathways for greater levels of access and healthcare.
It is time to create a new normal for all those who menstruate because menstrual health matters,” said La Boria.
Today, more than ever, it’s imperative to raise awareness of menstrual health equity, and all are encouraged to attend the event and follow on social media at hashtag #NJHMHES2022.
Free registration for the event can be completed here, and complimentary lunch will be provided to attendees.
Event sponsors to date include Horizon BCBS NJ, NJIT, Arts High School, RWJ Barnabas Health, USOW, Alamo, and the State of New Jersey.
For additional information, please get in touch with the office of Assemblywoman Shanique Speight at menstrualhealthequity@gmail.com and (862) 237-9752.