Beltrami museum seeks community involvement for May event on menstruation
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In announcing its new event the Beltrami County Historical Society is seeking public input for the exhibit titled “Women's History, Period. (The Evolution of Menstruation).” Emily Thabes, the executive director for BCHS, said the weeklong event at the end of May will feature guest speakers and cover a multitude of topics historical and contemporary, including period poverty.
“In Minnesota, one in nine women and girls between the ages of 12 and 44, lives below the federal poverty level,” she said. “Which means that nearly one in four students in the U.S. struggles to afford period supplies.”
Thabes said she hopes community members send their personal period stories for inclusion in the event.
“We would love to share those stories in our exhibit, because we want people to understand the experiences and for women to know that they are not alone in what they experience,” she said. “Women have stories to tell and we’re ready to hear them.”
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Contributors can share their stories anonymously with the BCHS via mail (depot@beltramihistory.org), email or a private message through Facebook messenger. Any identifying information will be redacted. Submissions can range from funny to problematic.
Along with programming organizers will be collecting donated menstruation products for redistribution throughout the area, as well as running a campaign to encourage businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to carry menstrual products in their bathrooms. This is something Thabes said is long overdue.
“We’re hoping that this will be a really positive campaign, both for our workers who menstruate, which, of course, is half of our community in this county,” she said. “But also really, hopefully, positively impact our business community as well.”
The exhibit is a partnership between the BCHS and the Bemidji Public Library. It is being sponsored through a Northwest Minnesota Foundation Women’s Fund grant.
To submit stories by mail, address your letter to: Beltrami County Historical Society, P.O. Box 1039, Bemidji, MN 56619.
