Cincinnati-Based Girls Health Period Honored as an Always ‘Period Hero’

Brittani and Erikka Gray, founders of Girls Health Period, a Black woman owned business working to provide menstrual education and resources to communities in Cincinnati, are being honored as Always “Period Heroes.”

Photograph courtesy of Girls Health Period

Girls Health Period started in 2018 when former teacher and founder Brittani saw firsthand the lack of menstrual resources and knowledge in her community. “We created a hygiene closet, and when I had the hygiene closet, menstrual products were the first things to go in,” says Brittani. After leaving the education field, Brittani still wanted to give back, and thus Girls Health Period was born.

“I started Girls Health Period as a CashApp in the very beginning,” says Brittani. “And then I just had all of the teachers, nurses, and any of my clients from the community donate.” As more and more community members got involved, Girls Health Period went from helping one school to 30 schools, and soon became a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

As Girls Health Period started reaching more communities in Cincinnati, the organization went beyond just donations. “Anytime we would donate products, the conversation just went above and beyond to education, and that’s when we started doing educational classes,” says Brittani.

In 2022, Girls Health Period hosted their first inaugural Period Summit, with over 300 attendees. The summit featured wellness activities such as hip hop, cardio, and yoga, as well as menstrual education classes. During the summit, over 800 menstrual products were donated by members of the community.

Photograph courtesy of Girls Health Period

“Google will tell you, one in five girls are missing school due to their menstrual cycle, whether it’s the access to the products of the symptoms of their period,” says Brittani, “But here in Cincinnati, we’ve observed it’s three in five girls that are missing school.”

Brittani and Erikka are currently planning their next inaugural Period Summit to educate and provide resources to more members of the community, and they have upcoming opportunities to get involved and donate resources which can be found on girlshealthperiod.org.

“If we reach one person, we have already reached three because the conversation keeps going” says Brittani, “We want to make sure you’re a well-rounded citizen that feels clean, confident, and comfortable in your skin.”