21-Yr-Old Indian-Origin Woman Youngest in Queen’s MBE List

She started the #FreePeriods campaign four years ago, when she was barely 17 years old.

(Photo: Amika George/Twitter)

Twenty-one-year-old Amika George, was the youngest to be picked for an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), which is the third-ranking award on the list. She was lauded for her campaign against period poverty – #FreePeriods.

“That change doesn’t have to be done from within the walls of Westminster, or the White House, or the Indian Parliament. Anyone can orchestrate change. I would like young people of colour to see that we are being recognised, and that if we are willing to jump from a place of safety and rise up, we can create something better,” George told The Indian Express.

She started the campaign four years ago, when she was barely 17 years old, after she became ‘angry’ that “there were girls in the UK who were missing school every month because they were too poor to afford period products”.

After starting a petition and her meeting with ministers, the UK government in 2020 funded educational institutes to provide free period products.

Free Periods is now a not-for-profit organisation – which aims to fight against the taboo over menstruation.

George stressed that she accepted the award on behalf of her family and community.

“On behalf of my family and community who have silently had to tolerate racism over decades, who felt like they never fitted in, who never felt British enough, who never felt seen.”

Amika Geroge

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)