Documentary | 2022

When I first met Sarah “Mili” Milianta-Laffin, more than two years ago, she and her students had already set their minds to End Period Poverty in Hawai‘i’s schools. The work they were doing was inspiring. Mili and I spoke many times trying to figure out how we could tell a story that centered the students—letting them shine as their incredible selves—while also supporting their work and the work of other young change-makers across the country.

This short film was the eventual product of those early conversations. There are many things I love about this one, but maybe what I appreciate most is the true collaboration that went into making it. From the amazing contributions of middle school(!) students Alana and Riez, to Mili's constant guidance and support, to Faviola Leyva's and Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz's filmmaking genius, Leah Nichols's design and animation magic, and Haibei Wang's beautiful music. This film was a labor of love and was carried into live by countless caring hands (even more than I've named here!) who all added something special to make this film all it is.

In June of this year, SB 2821 was signed into law. The bill will provide free menstrual products in all K-12 public and charter schools in Hawaii. This bill wouldn't have passed without the hard work, courage, and perseverance of the students in Mili's Activist Club at ‘Ilima Intermediate School. Their victory will have a lasting impact for all students in HI.

I hope this film inspires you to get involved in some advocacy work in your community. If you're looking for more information about the movement for period equity, check out Period.org and PeriodActionDay.com (while you're there, scroll down to see this video highlighted as a Period Action Day resource).