PeCo, the Concord Academy’s period coalition, was started by Kiran Bhat ‘22 and Lilia Kasdon ‘22 in the fall of 2019. Both coheads have previous experience working with various menstrual activism organizations such as Period, a nonprofit that fights against period poverty, and EverCup, a sustainable business that sells menstrual cups and donates one menstrual cup to a woman in India for each one sold. Topi Dasgupta is the faculty advisor for PeCo, and she is also heavily involved with the EverCup organization.
At CA, PeCo strives to create a supportive, welcoming environment for all, regardless of menstruating status. Kiran Bhat ‘22, who is a co-head of PeCo, shares, “We want to be an educational space for people who want to learn about activism, address racism and cis-sexism within the period justice space.”
Through watching short documentaries, hosting guided discussions, and providing resources for the community, PeCo provides a virtual platform to examine CA and how it supports its menstruators. The club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. EST. Each meeting has a different topic and focus. Past meetings have addressed racism within the menstrual community, menstrual cramp remedies, sustainability in menstrual products, and ways that CA could better support and empower the menstruators in the school.
Some of PeCo’s upcoming initiatives for their meetings include potentially working with CA’s Intersectional Feminist Organization (IFO) or Women of Color Alliance (WOCA) for pop-up events, as well as expanding their already successful virtual platform into a consistent group of people who attend club meetings. PeCo urges all members of the CA community to join this gender-inclusive space and learn more about periods and menstrual activism.