Kayelin Tiggs is a scientist, researcher, and advocate whose work has brought dignity and basic
rights to incarcerated women in Ohio. In 2023, she was honored with the Jim Tojo Award for
Leadership at the annual Upstander Awards Gala. Kayelin shares her journey of advocacy,
resilience, and hope, from championing menstrual equity legislation to redefining what justice
truly means.
“An upstander is someone who is proactive in their pursuit of justice… it’s a way of thinking, a
way of being, a way of envisioning justice — proactively.” – Kayelin Tiggs
This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling. Subscribe
here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity
Our gratitude to Margaret & Michael Valentine for their ongoing support of this series.
Connect with us on social media
https://www.facebook.com/CincyHHC
https://www.instagram.com/holocaustandhumanity/
https://www.tiktok.com/@holocaustandhumanity
Episode Resources
More on Kayelin’s upstander award
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/kayelin-tiggs-leads-push-for-menstrual-equality-for-
incarcerated-women/
Ohio House statement on Kayelin’s bill
https://www.ohiohouse.gov/news/democratic/ohio-house-passes-bill-ensuring-access-to-
feminine-hygiene-products-for-female-inmates-133271
Press coverage
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/politics/ohio-bill-that-would-require-free-feminine-hygiene-
products-in-prisons-moves-forward/
https://www.communitysolutions.com/resources/ohio-jails-struggle-continuity-dependable-
hygiene-care
