Nassim Alisobhani

This is the third article in a three-part series on the Period Project, which examines the scope and consequences of period poverty and assesses state progress toward achieving menstrual equity through legislation. In the last of our three-part series on , highlighting our Period Project research study and forthcoming Period Project Report Cards, we report on schooling and access to menstrual products.

In the U.S., Black women are over three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. An online discussion Wednesday, Feb. 9, will unpack how we stem the high death rates and fight back. Kira Johnson, 39, died hours after giving birth to her son. Her husband, Charles Johnson IV, describes the death as preventable. (Courtesy of Charles Johnson IV) In April 2016, Kira Johnson, an African American woman, died hours after the birth of her second son.