A problem we should solve. Period

Also, want to hone your chops with a paid campaign job?

Most of the time, when you read about poverty in Texas it involves the state’s urban areas. Urban poverty is easy to see and there are fewer responsible reporting outlets than any time in our lifetimes.

The good reporters who are working hard certainly are not being encouraged by editors to do involved stories about poverty. There are too many other subjects that cover that honestly do need attention.

Behind the Pine Curtain, newspaper editors want to see multiple stories from every reporter every day. Project reporting is mostly a thing of the past.

Plus, rural poverty is difficult to see. It is hard to even know where to look. As often as not, you happen upon it when you least expect it.

Doing a story on rural poverty in East Texas correctly would take months and would be better done by more than one reporter. I know of no news organization interested in working on a story like that, even before the recent cutbacks.

So, it remains our dirty little secret in East Texas.

I’ve written about rural poverty here before, but this problem seems to grow deeper and more problematic with each passing year.

It is likely that even those who understand rural poverty here don’t grasp the real depth of the problem. When we think of poverty, we often think of difficulty getting food, clothing or housing.

Those things are certainly a big part of the mix, but they are only the beginning and they each must be approached differently here than they would be in cities.

What I have most recently discovered — perhaps because I’m a male and have been trained from childhood not to think of such things — is “period” poverty.

This should have been no surprise, but it isn’t something that is much talked about openly. As it turns out, we need to discuss it.

Unfortunately, not many seem to want to do this, especially men — who hold most of the seats of power in East Texas. They seem to be put off by the “ick” factor.

There shouldn’t be any real controversy here about helping those who need help. This is a basic human need and those who can’t manage to get what they need should be helped. This is not always strictly about money. In the store “deserts” of the Pineywoods, just getting the supplies can be tough, regardless of the cost.

In East Texas there is exactly one organization — Period ETX — that is focused on getting menstruation supplies to those who need them, especially school age girls who are likely to be the most ill at ease.

If you are living in poverty those big three needs — food, clothing, housing — will get attention well before menstrual needs, which means that women will either be using products well after what they were designed for or will substitute other things, such as toilet paper instead of using tampons or pads.

Neither of those is an acceptable alternative but it is what some women in poverty face.

Period ETX is really more of a dream now than a reality, though the organization has held a few collection drives, last year getting 1,000 period supplies that helped two high schools have resources.

The group hopes to donate to the East Texas Crisis Center and East Texas Women’s Center on an ongoing basis.

This is good as a beginning but think about the need. Supplying two high schools? Out of all those in East Texas? Obviously, it is a just start but so much more needs to be done.

And it could be. The Texas Legislature buried a bill in its last session that would have ended the sales tax on period supplies. That’s not a big step but it could have helped.

If someone writes a book about period poverty, bet that same legislature would vote to keep it out of the school library, though

There are big problems in Texas that effect everyone and then there are “small” problems that don’t impact many but the impact on those individuals is huge. This is one of the latter.

Period ETX itself is just in its infancy and its goals are extremely modest. The group hopes to raise $500 in commemoration of International Women’s Week, which is underway even as this is being written.

That amount would buy about 60 boxes of tampons. Every little bit helps but that is not much.

It seems as if East Texas should have enough resources to do more. If you want to contribute to this cause, check out the Period ETX Facebook page. You can find out how to do your part there.

***

Want to work on a campaign, not just as a volunteer, but as a paid staffer? Apparently the Beto O’Rourke campaign for governor is looking to hire staff across the state in the bid to unseat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

I don’t have all the details, but the jobs are paying $45,000 for the campaign and don’t require any previous campaign experience.

For those interested in working in politics, particularly on the Democratic side, this could be a good entry point. Don’t expect this to be an easy gig with short hours. You’ll earn every penny of what you make.

If you are interested, you can probably write to info@betofortexas.com.

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