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Archives for January 2018

by Catherine Read

The Urban Stories Project with Stacey Picard – Your Need to Know

(Jan. 31, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Stacey Picard, founder and director of The Urban Stories Project. The genesis of this organization focused on storytelling began five years ago when Stacey relocated to Northern Virginia from Cleveland, Ohio, and began volunteering. Tutoring first graders in math at the local elementary school during the week and serving lunch on weekends through SOME got her thinking about what happens to six year olds that some of them end up homeless. “Nobody wakes up and says, I think I’ll be homeless and stay under a bridge and this is the path I’ll take,” says Stacey.

A friend suggested she look into the work being done by Theatre Lab in Washington, DC. She cold called Deb Gottesman and got involved in their Life Stories Program. This program works with marginalized communities – AIDS patients, wounded warriors and homeless women in addiction – to create artistic pieces from their life stories that can be performed or made into a film.  Involvement in the Life Stories Program brought her to N Street Village where she met Tom Workman who had been doing this type of storytelling with the women there for a decade.

Stacey Picard Urban StoriesWhen Theatre Lab created the Life Stories Institute in order to train instructors in teaching storytelling, Stacey went through the program. When Tom Workman left N Street Village to work on another project, she stepped in to continue his work there. She’s been running the program for three years now in addition to working with other organizations. Her interest goes beyond creating performance pieces to creating published works of personal stories. Years ago, she worked with a group of middle school girls in Cleveland to produce a book of poetry and photos that helped the girls to better tell their stories. Currently, she is working with students at a high school in Southeast DC. The storytelling work there includes helping the students to access their personal stories for their own understanding, and then to craft those narratives into essays for college admission and scholarship applications.

She is currently working with Shout Mouse Press, a writing program and independent publisher founded by Kathy Crutcher. This opens up the possibility of creating enduring works of storytelling by collecting and publishing collections of stories. Stacey has been working with Friends of Guest House, a re-entry program for formerly incarcerated women, to help the women to tell their stories in ways that help them in their efforts to rejoin their families and communities. The women have to face potential employers with an explanation of how they made a poor decision and ended up with a felony record. They are also asked to speak in front of groups to tell their stories and in front of legislative committees who are considering policies that impact them and women like them. Stacey hopes to collect and publish a book  based on the experiences of the women who have come through the Friends of Guest House program.

Stacey talks about the tribalism we are currently experiencing in this country and how technology and social media creates bubbles that isolate us into closed networks of like minded individuals. She observes that this leads us to stop seeing the humanity in other people. Storytelling is way to bring people together in a more genuine and authentic way. Helping people to tell their stories is not about agendas or creating spin. It’s about creating a safe space for someone to share their story, to trust themselves to access their own story and to feel “This matters. I matter. I own this and it deserves to be told.” Too often, the stories of marginalized people have been drown out. She often asks her students to consider: “What would the world be like if you didn’t exist.” 

It’s also important for organizations to be able to tell their stories. Most non-profits and direct service agencies don’t have a line item in their budget for the professional development related to telling compelling stories about their mission. The clients they serve often don’t have the support and assistance to tell their stories on behalf of the organizations that changed their lives. And the staff who work in non-profit organizations are not necessarily equipped as storytellers either, creating missed opportunities to genuinely connect with clients, volunteers, collaborating partners, donors and the media. Stacey believes that Board and Staff Retreats are an excellent forum for introducing these concepts and she hopes to do more organizational work through The Urban Stories Project.

Urban Stories Project

To learn more about The Urban Stories Project, you can follow them on Facebook and also on Twitter @UrbanStories17

 

Filed Under: Blogging, TV Shows, Virginia, Women, Your Need to Know Tagged With: Friends of Guest House, Shout Mouse Press, Stacey Picard, storytelling, Theatre Lab, Urban Stories Project

by Rachel Simon

Kyle McDaniel Resigns from Republican Party

(Jan. 29, 2018)  Catherine Read interviews Kyle McDaniel, who recently stepped down from his post as a member of the Republican State Central Committee. He submitted his public letter of resignation shortly after President Donald Trump made derogatory remarks about people from Haiti and African countries.

Kyle has been active in Fairfax County politics and policy, having worked as a top aid for Supervisor Pat Herrity and serving on local boards and commissions in the Fairfax County. He lives a life of service, having done mission work in Haiti through his church, and serving on local Rotary and Lions Clubs at home in West Springfield. His disdain for the President was evident, as he has felt like the GOP has lost its moral compass. He also believes that the current crop of GOP leaders is abandoning the core guiding values of conservative philosophy, which promotes smaller government. Kyle continues to see himself as a true conservative, and plans to stick to his principles as he moves forward with new endeavors as an Independent.

When asked about the future of the Republican Party, McDaniel asserts that until the party can become more inclusive, and realign itself to understanding the needs of the next generation, then the party will continue to shrink. He also feels that the blue wave seen in the November elections in Virginia should be an indicator to the state party that there is strong anti-Trump sentiment in the Old Dominion. In regards to the 2019 elections, he believes that the party whose voters are motivated to stay the most engaged and energized will fare the best in the off-off year elections (no Federal or Statewide candidates will be on the ballot; all 100 members of the House and 40 members of the Senate will be up for re-election).

McDaniel, 28,  is looking forward to taking a step back from politics and the public eye, and spending more time with his young family. He loves the community that he lives in, and through his work with the Rotary and Lions Clubs will dedicate his time and energy to things that will make his community a better place. In the future, he envisions himself working on promoting policies that help working families improve their quality of life, such as affordable childcare and affordable healthcare. He believes that Conservatives understand that businesses want a healthy economy and happy workers, so finding the intersection of these values will be important for future stability and growth of the community.

Filed Under: Inside Scoop, Political, TV Shows, Virginia Tagged With: Fairfax County, GOP, Independent, Kyle McDaniel, Lions Club, Pat Herrity, Rotary, Virginia Republican Party

by Rachel Simon

No Child Goes Hungry with Founder Kären Rasmussen

(Jan. 24, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Kären Rasmussen, Executive Director of No Child Goes Hungry , a local 501C-3 non-profit aimed at fighting childhood hunger.   As a Unitarian Universalist Community Minister, Rev. Rasmussen often found herself confounded by the prospect that so many children in our communities are food insecure. As she attempted to wrap her head around this very pervasive problem, she wanted to reframe the issue of childhood hunger in a meaningful way.  In her travels, she observed that people inside their communities were doing creative and meaningful work, but often needed resources to get their programs off the ground. She then decided that No Child Goes Hungry would focus on the fundraising, and then issue grants to those out in the community who have innovative ideas and could carry out the work. In addition to providing seed money, Rasmussen has also offered to help coach and mentor community activists, to share the wealth of knowledge she has gained through her years of work on this issue.

Karen Rasmussen No Child Goes HungryNo Child Goes Hungry has issued grants to groups in 9 states, Washington, DC and Honduras. Rev. Rasmussen emphasized that the only requirement that is needed when applying for a grant is a good idea. She shared a story about a young high school student name Maddie Harris who wanted to build a food pantry at her high school, but lacked the supplies such as airtight plastic containers that were needed to complete the project. The young lady applied for a grant with NCGH, the project was completed, and they are now operating a food pantry at her high school supplied by donations from participating families.

Over the past one and a half years since NCGH was founded, Rasmussen has issued 37 grants. The mission of her organization is to empower individuals to make a difference right in their own communities – one child, one meal at a time. When a grant is awarded to an organization, Rev. Kären mentors the leaders of the specific group as they build their hunger advocacy projects. Every grant bestowed by NCGH is meant to be a springboard, and the hope is the recipients will be able to raise or contribute funds on their journey to become self-sufficient initiatives.

As No Child Goes Hungry rolls into 2018, Rev. Rasmussen is looking to ramp up her fundraising efforts, and encourage all who have creative ideas about how they can make an impact in their community to apply for a grant.  100% of the money raised goes toward fighting food insecurity in the youngest, most vulnerable members of our communities.

Filed Under: Blogging, TV Shows, Virginia, Your Need to Know Tagged With: childhood hunger, fighting hunger, food insecurity, grant, Kären Rasmussen, No Child Goes Hungry, Unitarian Universalist

by Rachel Simon

Five Talents – Dale Stanton-Hoyle

(Jan 22, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Dale Stanton-Hoyle, Executive Director of Five Talents. Five Talents is a micro-enterprise development organization (MED) aimed at eradicating extreme global poverty by restoring human dignity and creating strong, sustainable communities. Their mission is to transform lives through economic empowerment.

The Anglican and Episcopal Churches came together 20 years ago to found the organization, with the goal of helping to reduce poverty in the poorest places on Earth. Micro-enterprise development organizations do not give out loans to people in these countries, however they do train facilitators. A facilitator helps to form a group of 20 interested citizens who decide that they want to come together to help strengthen their community. They form their own constitution, determine interest rates and lending criteria, and save as much as they can over a set period of time.   Once they pool their resources, the group invites community members in to make a business “pitch”, then together they determine who will receive loans and how much money will be lent.

These loans are very small, but can have an immediate and extraordinary impact. A larger loan might be given for the purchase of an animal, like a cow, where the owner could sell the milk for profit. On a much smaller scale, the loan could be for something as simple as a tea service, so a woman could make and sell tea at the market in her town. Stanton-Hoyle shares that both of these examples give the individual the opportunity for financial independence and helps lift them out of dependence and poverty. Many times, the facilitators will help others in their community think about how they can leverage local resources and tap into their individual talents – weather it be cooking, driving, sewing, etc. The unique nature of Five Talents is that they train local citizens who understand the culture and the communities in which they live. This helps them to cultivate talent and empower community members.

Women receive approximately 90% of the loans that are given by lending groups working under the Five Talents umbrella. Many women in the poorest countries are unemployed, and lack the confidence and schooling needed to start their own business. Having mentors to help understand how to both run and grow a business is instrumental in their success. Many women tend to re-invest money back in their families and their communities, making them ideal recipients of micro-loans. The loans also help lift up families, and provide strong role models for young girls.

The Five Talents model also helps to build resiliency in impoverished communities. Stanton-Hoyle recounted a story about a lending group that worked in South Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world. As civil war erupted, and citizens were displaced to refugee camps, the graduates of the Five Talents program took their lending circle skills with them.   These mentors helped refugees understand their assets and talents, which enabled them to organize and start small enterprises for basic services like babysitting, tailoring, shoe repair, etc. The education that the mentors received from Five Talents is something that they took with them, and in turn enabled them to improve their own lives and the lives of those in their communities.

Filed Under: Inside Scoop, TV Shows Tagged With: Dale Stanton-Hoyle, Five Talents, global poverty, mentors, micro loans, Micro-Enterprise Development, Poverty

by Rachel Simon

Turning Point Suffragist Memorial – Patricia Wirth

(Jan. 17, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Patricia Wirth, Executive Director of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association. TPSMA is a volunteer-led organization dedicated to honoring, memorializing, and educating future generations about the suffragists who fought for and won the right to vote for American women. The organization aims to raise awareness and funds to build a memorial that will reflect the strength of these women and the significance of their struggle. Their mission is to educate, inspire and empower present and future generations in the quest for equal rights.

Most people do not know much about the suffragist movement because their stories have not made their way into mainstream textbooks. The suffragist movement originated in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848, and blossomed in the early 20th Century under the direction of the National Women’s Party. Women began to march and peacefully protest in their quest to amend the Constitution and gain the right to vote. In 1917 women were jailed for peaceful protest, and on November 14, 1917, women who were held in a Lorton, VA prison were brutally beaten and subsequently were refused medical care. When word leaked out of these atrocities, the tide began to change and there was a turning point in the movement. In partnership with NOVA Parks, the memorial to the 19th Amendment will be located footsteps from where the women who fought for their rights were imprisoned at the storied Occoquan Workhouse in southern Fairfax County, Virginia.

The memorial designed includes 19 interactive stations where visitors can learn about the suffragists, and their historic movement that brought about the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The movement consisted of approximately 5 million women, and the memorial aims to cover all of the different constituencies who played a part, including African American and Jewish women who were instrumental in moving the issue forward. The memorial will cost approximately $2 million, and Wirth shared that they aim to have it constructed by August of 2020, the 100th year anniversary of the 19th Amendment. She notes that the organization recently received a $25,000 grant from Dominion Energy and have had some successful fundraisers, but have a long way to go to reach the $2 million goal. If you are interested in supporting these efforts you can visit the website to make a donation, follow Turning Point Suffragist Movement on Facebook and Twitter (@tpsm2020).

 

Filed Under: Political, TV Shows, Virginia, Women, Your Need to Know Tagged With: 19th Amendment, Fairfax County, National Women's Party, Occoquan Workhouse, Patricia Wirth, suffragist, Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, women's right to vote

by Catherine Read

Ben Tribbett: Democratic Wins in the House of Delegates – Inside Scoop

(Jan 15, 2018) Catherine Read talks with political analyst Benjamin Tribbett about the 2017 House of Delegates races here in Virginia. There were a number of contested races with close recounts in several districts, with the control of the House coming down to race in which a tie was declared and the winner’s name drawn from a bowl.There were a number of contested races with close recounts in several districts, with the control of the House coming down to race in which a tie was declared and the winner’s name drawn from a bowl. The 15 additional Democratic Delegates in the House means the Republicans control the vote in both chambers by a majority of one.

The 15 new Democratic Delegates (11 of them women) came from districts across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia House is seating the most women ever this year: 28, compared to 17 last year. Roughly half of the Democratic caucus is female.

In Southwest Virginia, newcomer Chris Hurst (HD 12) prevailed over three term incumbent Joseph Yost.  [Voters in this region turned out more voters for Gillespie in ’17 than Cuccinelli in ’13]

In Hampton Roads, Kelly Fowler (HD 21) and Cheryl Turpin (HD 85) also won against incumbents. Shelly Simonds (HD 95) ended up in a tie with incumbent David Yancey, whose name was drawn from a bowl to retain his seat.

In Richmond, Dawn Adams (HD 68), Schuyler VanValkenburg (HD 72) and Debra Rodman (HD 73) prevailed in their races.

VA House of Delegates 2018In Northern Virginia, the biggest news was that Prince William County’s House seats flipped in a wave of blue that ousted a number of incumbents:

Danica Roem (HD 13) unseated longtime incumbent Bob Marshall in one of the most watched races in the nation. Danica is the first transgender woman elected to a state legislature prevailing over a notoriously homophobic candidate in what can only be described as a beautiful example of karma.

Lee Carter (HD 50) unseated incumbent Jackson Miller.

Hala Ayala (HD 51) won against incumbent Rich Anderson.

Elizabeth Guzman (HD 31) prevailed against 8 term incumbent Scott Lingamfelter.  Guzmán and Ayala made history in Virginia as the first Hispanic women elected to the state’s House of Delegates.

Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD 2) a VMI graduate and new mom of twins won an open seat vacated by Delegate Mark Dudenhefer.

In Fairfax County, Kathy Tran (HD 42), Virginia’s first Vietnamese-American Delegate who welcomed her fourth child Elise just before the primary, won an open seat formerly held by Dave Albo. Karrie Delaney (HD 67) unseated incumbent four term incumbent Jim LeMunyon.

In Loudoun County, David Reid (HD 32) took the seat held by Tag Greason and Wendy Gooditis (HD 10) unseated incumbent Randy Minchew.

Ben Tribbett Inside ScoopBen discusses how the huge voter turnout impacted this election and why so many GOP incumbents could not survive the wave. The idea that this election could flip control of the House to the Democratic Party was not something for which the party leadership had prepared. There are also steep learning curves for the new Delegates heading into their first legislative session. The fact that the Speaker of the House, Kirk Cox, makes assignments for committees in both chambers means that every committee will CONTINUE to have a majority of Republican members. While there was a negotiation for “proportional representation” on the committees, the very early days of session have dramatized how little difference that makes when committees vote along “party lines.”

Ben also explores how power sharing might have been negotiated differently prior to knowing the outcome of the Simonds-Yancey name drawing. There was a long term power sharing arrangement in the Senate from 1997 to 2003. The window of opportunity has now closed to make that type of negotiation. He goes on talk about the creation of “Districts of Influence” and the percentages of deviations when re-drawing district lines after each U.S. Census. The GOP tends to split more voting blocks and the result in Virginia is 224 split precincts, with some of them split three ways. There is a possibility that pending court cases could find that district lines in Virginia need to be redrawn prior to 2021 which could result in special elections in the affected districts.

The 2019 elections will be a challenge for the Democrats in holding on to some of these newly won seats. Ben talks about how this is an off-off-off year election with no “top of ticket” candidate like Governor or President. Every seat in the House (100) and in the Senate (40) will be in play. In addition, County Board of Supervisor seats and School Board seats will also be on the ballot. Because of how these districts are overlaid, the ballot might have an incumbent Republican Senator, a first term Democratic Delegate and a Board of Supervisor candidate of either party. How the voters will make their voting decisions giving weight to incumbency and party remains to be seen. There is a strong possibility that some of the gains in the House may not be sustainable in 2019, while it is also possible Democrats will pick up the two Senate seats they need to take majority in the Senate.

Benjamin Tribbett is a longtime well known political analyst and political consultant and you can follow him on Twitter @NotLarrySabato

Filed Under: Inside Scoop, Political, TV Shows, Virginia, Women Tagged With: 2017 Elections, 2018 Legislative Session, Ben Tribbett, Danica Roem, Democratic Party of Virginia, House of Delegates, Inside Scoop, Virginia

by Rachel Simon

2018 Virginia Legislative Preview – Your Need to Know

(Jan. 10, 2018)  Catherine Read talks with Delegate Marcus Simon (D -53) to get a preview of the 2018 Virginia Legislative Session, which begins on January 10 and will run through March 10. Simon is a Democrat representing Falls Church and surrounding Fairfax County. First elected in 2013, he has served on the Militia, Police and Public Safety and Science and Technology committees throughout his tenure as delegate. 2017 saw a blue wave wash over the commonwealth, as 15 new Democratic seats were picked up bringing the House to a 49-51 split. Simon is excited about the energy and enthusiasm that the freshman delegates will bring to Richmond, as the change in the makeup of the General Assembly has the opportunity to open up a world of possibilities that did not exist in previous years when the Republicans held a 2/3 majority in the House.

This freshman class of delegates will face a steep learning curve, and the caucus will be faced with the challenge of having a third of its members being brand new to the body. In order to get in front of this, Delegate Simon shared that the new delegates were first brought down to Richmond in November to get an early orientation and “boot camp” introduction to the legislative process, learning everything from parliamentary procedure to how to file a bill in the system. Each new delegate was paired with a mentor to help them navigate the system, and be available for questions on a variety of issues. His advice to the new delegates: focus on a few core issues that they would like to advance in order to help craft realistic public policy. If they are able to concentrate on deliverable issues, then they will have concrete steps to stand on when they go back home to their districts.

Delegate Marcus SimonActivists in Virginia were ready to get to work after the devastating loss in November of 2016 that gave Donald Trump and Republicans complete control of the Federal government. Grassroots organizers came together in unprecedented numbers to help turn the tide in the commonwealth. Spawning groups like Network Nova , Indivisible, and Postscards4VA , Simon hopes that the energy and enthusiasm that went into canvassing, phone banking and postcard writing during the elections can now be turned into advocacy to help advance issues that are near and dear to their hearts. He indicates that it is important for the people who helped create this blue wave to get involved in the legislative process, and hold the people who they elected accountable. With Virginia having a part time legislature, the window of opportunity to get things done is short, and targeted advocacy on specific state issues can have a great impact.

The first step in being able to hold elected officials accountable is to understand how a bill becomes a law in Virginia. Once they know which legislator will be carrying a specific bill, they can then learn which committee will be hearing the bill. All of the bills and legislator information can be tracked on the Virginia General Assembly website. Specifically, the Legislative Information System will show progress of bills as they move through the legislative process. Committees are really where most of the heavy lifting occurs. Witnesses are invited to come testify, and committees debate the merits of the bill. As an activist, it is important to know which legislators sit on which committees, and it is important to communicate opinions on specific pieces of legislation. Every communication with a legislator will get tracked and recorded, then reflected on when it is time to vote. The more constituents a legislator hears from, the more seriously they will take a bill. Activists can also make appointments to individually meet with the legislators, participate in “Lobby Days”, when specific groups descend on Richmond to demonstrate and meet with legislators, and share information on social media platforms.

Finally, when asked about Medicaid expansion Simon felt very positive. As a signature issue of outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe, as well as a campaign promise of incoming Governor Dr. Ralph Northam, Simon believes that there will be a real opportunity to deliver healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Virginians. With hard work and compromise between the two parties, Del. Simon thinks that they will come to a “yes” in order to take advantage of the 6 million dollars a day that the commonwealth is giving up by not accepting the federal Medicaid expansion program.

Filed Under: Blogging, Political, TV Shows, Virginia, Your Need to Know Tagged With: Delegate Marcus B Simon, Indivisible, Marcus Simon, Medicaid Expansion, Network NoVA, Postcard4VA, Virginia, Virginia General Assembly

by Rachel Simon

Virginia Menstrual Equity – Holly Seibold of BRAWS

(Jan. 3, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Holly Siebold, founder of Bringing Resources and Aid to Women’s Shelters (BRAWS), and Shaheen Khurama, head of the BRAWS Advocacy Committee. They are a non-partisan coalition, composed of groups and individuals with interest in menstrual equity. They believe that access to safe menstrual products is a matter of human dignity and public health.

Shaheen KhuranaThe advocacy committee, notes Khurama, has a mission to support public policy initiatives that have three main objectives. First, they want to expand access to menstrual products in schools, women’s shelters and correctional facilities. Second, they aim to make menstrual products more affordable by making them tax-free or allowing the products to be included in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Benefits, and by adding eligibility of these items for refundable tax credits. Lastly, they aim to make the products safer by requiring manufacturers to list the materials used in the products.

Author Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, in her book Periods Gone Public, coined the term “menstrual equity”, where she talks about the stigma of openly talking about menstrual cycles. She also notes that women and girls do not have equal opportunities for success in cultures throughout the world because of how they are treated or isolated during their menstrual cycles. This book caught on with female grassroots activists in the US. Although women don’t face many of the obvious problems that occur in other world cultures, female advocates did find parallels and wanted to start a grass roots movement to change the culture around menstrual cycles.

In an effort to educate girls about this issue, Seibold shares that BRAWS has started a teen leadership council, where girls from Elementary, Middle and High Schools come together and learn how to talk openly about periods. They are then ambassadors, as they return to their home schools and hold conversations about periods with their peers. BRAWS aims to educate the next generation and take away the stigma about periods, using proper terminology, as well as having free products available in bathrooms and clinics at schools. BRAWS has heard from girls who have had to leave school because they get their period and don’t have access to products to manage their menstruation. This is something that can and should be addressed.

In the upcoming Virginia Legislative session, there are three bills being introduced to address the goals of BRAWS. Del. Kaye Kory is introducing HB 83, which would require correctional facilities to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge to inmates. ( update: since the interview this bill has passed through both the House and the Senate and is awaiting signature from the Governor).

Del. Jennifer Boysko introduced two other bills designed to provide tax-free purchases of sanitary products, HB 24 and the complementary bill HB 25. HB 24 would make them permanently tax-free, and HB 25 would make products tax-free during the back to school tax-free holiday (update: both of these bills failed to make it out of the House).

The Virginia Menstrual Equity Coalition has brought together women’s advocacy groups from around the Commonwealth. These are not partisan groups, they are simply women from all across the state who want to advance the agenda of de-stigmatization of menstrual cycles and increased access to feminine hygiene products.   BRAWS encourages women to contact their legislators (state and federal) to help advance their goals to make these products safer and more affordable. The coalition is thrilled to have the support of Gov. Ralph Northam, and hopes that with his medical background he can help raise the profile of these issues.  On the Federal level, Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) has legislation moving through Capitol Hill to require ingredient labeling for feminine hygiene products. You can follow the progress of all of this legislation on the BRAWS website and on the Facebook page of the Virginia Menstrual Equity Coalition.

Filed Under: Political, TV Shows, Virginia, Women, Your Need to Know Tagged With: BRAWS, BRAWS teen leadership council, Bringing Access to Women's Shelter, Delegate Jennifer Boysko, Delegate Kaye Kory, feminine hygiene, Flexible Spending Accounts, FSA, Governor of Virginia, Grace Meng, grass roots, HB 24, HB 25, HB 83, Holly Seibold, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, menstrual cycles, Menstrual Equity, Periods, Periods Gone Public, Ralph Northam, Shaheen Khurana, tax free feminine hygiene, Virginia Menstrual Equity, Virginia Menstrual Equity Coalition, women

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