Period poverty is an ongoing issue in NC's public schools. Here's what's being done to address it.

By Leoneda Inge,

Published May 29, 2024 at 9:28 AM EDT

Nearly one-quarter of all K-12 public school students in the U.S. struggle to gain monthly access to feminine hygiene products. This ongoing challenge is referred to as "period poverty." Studies show that period poverty among school-aged girls can impact attendance, academic progress, health and self-esteem. In North Carolina, the state is addressing this issue by providing limited funding on a first-come, first-serve basis to schools who request financial support through the Feminine Hygiene Products Grant Program.

The need is still great and various non-profit organizations and individual donations to schools are working to supplement the state's resources.

Guest

Lillian Pinto, reproductive health consultant for the NC Department of Public Instruction Department

Due South

Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Stacia Brown

Stacia L. Brown is a writer and audio storyteller who has worked in public media since 2016, when she partnered with the Association of Independents in Radio and Baltimore's WEAA 88.9 to create The Rise of Charm City, a narrative podcast that centered community oral histories. She has worked for WAMU’s daily news radio program, 1A, as well as WUNC’s The State of Things. Stacia was a producer for WUNC's award-winning series, Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon and a co-creator of the station's first children's literacy podcast, The Story Stables. She served as a senior producer for two Ten Percent Happier podcasts, Childproof and More Than a Feeling. In early 2023, she was interim executive producer for WNYC’s The Takeaway.

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