Many women and girls who experience period poverty are unable to purchase the menstrual products they need.
Columbia, SC, March 13, 2024, As a part of Women’s History Month, Benedict College joins the national campaign to end period poverty. Countless women and girls experience period poverty and are unable to purchase the menstrual products they need. Difficulty affording menstrual products can cause women and girls to stay home from school and work, with lasting consequences on their education, economic opportunities, mental health, and well-being.
The College invites the Columbia community to join in the effort to collect and distribute much needed products to local charities. On Saturday, March 16, Jocelyn Artis, 1st Daughter of Benedict College and Morgan Miles, Miss Benedict College will co-host a special collection event titled “I Support My Sisters…PERIOD!”
“As a biology student with aspirations to become a labor and delivery nurse, advocating for women’s rights is a cause close to my heart,” said Morgan Miles, Miss Benedict College 2023-2024. “One issue I’m particularly passionate about addressing is period poverty. It’s alarming to see how inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products affects women worldwide, leading to significant physical, mental, and emotional challenges. With over half of the global population menstruating and millions suffering from this issue, it’s imperative that we work towards its eradication. #ISupportMySisters…Period!”
The I Support My Sisters…PERIOD!!! Collection Date will be Saturday, March 16, 2024, from 1-3 p.m.at the Swinton Center Student Lounge located on the 2nd floor. Supporters also have the option of making a monetary donation at https://benedict.edu/i-support-my-sisters-period/
Additionally, for the remainder of the month of March, The Benedict College Honors Program and the Psychology Department will continue accepting donations for “Power to the Period.” Dr. Shaneen Carujo – Director of the Honors Program and Dr. Desiree Bygrave, a member of the Psychology faculty, led the effort in 2023 and are pleased to engage their students in this important effort again in 2024.
“Eliminating period poverty is not just about providing access to menstrual products,” noted Dr. Shaneen Corujo, Benedict College Associate Professor of Psychology. “It’s about restoring dignity, empowering women and girls, and ensuring equal opportunities for all.”
The Benedict College Campus Product Drop-off Locations are listed below.
Fine Art Building, Room 303
Bacoats Building, Room 214
Administration Building, First Floor Lobby
The B.E.S.T. Lives Center- 1903 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29204
For more information, please call: Dr. Shaneen Corujo (803)705-4662 or Dr. Desiree Bygrave (803) 705-4712
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 26 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest. Benedict College was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
