BROOKE & BREANNA BENNETT –
WOMEN IN TRAINING, INC.

When 12-year-old Brooke Bennett learned a few years ago that there are girls who “spot” on their clothing because they cannot afford sanitary pads, she was very sad. “That’s not right,” Brooke told her twin sister, Breanna. “Every girl needs menstrual items to stay clean and healthy during their period.”

Together, the girls started Women in Training, Inc. (WIT), a youth empowerment organization. WIT’s signature program is the WITKITS Campaign to help alleviate period poverty among the 25% of American young people who skip school or miss work because they cannot afford menstrual products. WIT provides monthly donations of WITKITS to at-risk girls, low-income women and nonbinary youth. WITKITS are branded canvas bags full of menstrual, hygiene and dental products. Since COVID-19, WIT volunteers include personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves and a bottle of WIT hand sanitizer, in each WITKIT.

It took the twins only a few months to realize that it would take massive support from the government, corporations and private citizens to create menstrual equity. To that end, they met with Alabama Representative Rolanda Hollis to seek her support in introducing a bill that would require school districts to provide menstrual products to students in need. Rep. Hollis immediately jumped on the idea. Representative Hollis introduced menstrual equity bills in 2020, 2021 and again in 2022. House Bill 50 passed unanimously in the House of Representatives on March 1, 2022, and unanimously in the Senate committee. Breanna and Brooke, and the entire WIT team, are advocating for HB 50 to reach the full Senate floor for a vote before the session ends in early April 2022.

Brooke and Breanna were 2021 Winners of the Barron Prize.