Racial Equity

From Doula to Bilingual IBCLC: Nicola Young’s Vision Becomes a Clinic

Lactation Collaborative, Providers, Racial Equity / Breastfeed Durham

Before the Breastfeed Durham Lactation Collaborative existed, Nicola Young was already imagining it. “I initially decided to pursue lactation training after witnessing, as a doula, the barriers to infant feeding support that Spanish-speaking and other historically excluded families were facing in our community. I dreamt of being able to provide lactation support free of charge […]

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New AAP Policy: Pediatricians Should Partner With Community Lactation Support

Racial Equity, Providers / Love Anderson

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a new policy statement naming implicit bias, interpersonal microaggressions, and structural racism as real barriers to breastfeeding, and the very first solution it names is partnership with community health workers. That is who we are. The entire Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities framework is built around community health workers and health educators, and around training clinicians to think the way community health workers think. To see that named in national pediatric policy is significant. Read the full policy statement.

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Who Disappears Inside the Data?

Racial Equity, Advocacy / Ryle Eskander

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week — August 15–21, 2026Theme: Better Data, Better Care for AANHPI Families The acronym says Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander. Geographically, that is an enormous part of the planet. Iran is in Asia. India is in Asia. Pakistan is in Asia. So are Samoa and

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A 62.3% Reduction in Durham’s Infant Mortality

Advocacy, Breastfeeding Communities, Racial Equity / Love Anderson

A note on the numbers (September 2026): Durham County reported a 62.3 percent reduction in infant mortality over eight years. 2024 was an exceptional year and the rate will settle differently over time, but it is a moment worth celebrating, and human milk feeding is one strand of the County’s coordinated investment behind it. 2024

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Perinatal Mood Support and Lactation: Building Villages of Care

Advocacy, Breastfeeding Communities, News, Parent Information, Providers, Racial Equity / Breastfeed Durham

In August, Breastfeed Durham partnered with Piedmont AHEC to host a powerful session in our First Food Equity Series—this one centered on the deep connection between perinatal mood support and lactation. The conversation, led by Bernadette Greene, Executive Director of Breastfeed Durham, and Kimberly D. Harper, RN, MPH of UNC’s Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health, brought together research,

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Human Milk Feeding Strategic Plan

ICO4MCH, Advocacy, News, Providers, Racial Equity / Breastfeed Durham

On February 28, 2025, during Breastfeed Durham’s annual Breastfeeding Symposium and Networking Event, Director Jenkins of the Durham County Department of Public Health officially signed the Human Milk Feeding Strategic Plan into action — marking a powerful milestone for lactation equity in our community. This 10-year plan lays out bold goals to improve support for

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When a Health System Says “No” to Lactation Equity

Advocacy, Breastfeeding Communities, News, Parent Information, Providers, Racial Equity / Love Anderson

Every year during Black Maternal Health Week, we are called to remember the mothers and babies we’ve lost—and to take action to protect the ones we still have. We live and work in Durham, North Carolina—the so-called “City of Medicine.” But despite our proximity to world-class medical institutions, Black families here face an alarming and

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Lactation, Equity, and Community Support: Addressing Disparities in Infant Feeding for Minority Families

Advocacy, Breastfeeding Communities, News, Racial Equity / Love Anderson

Minority Health Month is a time to reflect on the systemic inequities that affect health outcomes in communities of color. One of the most pressing yet often overlooked aspects of maternal and infant health is the ability of parents to meet their infant feeding goals—whether through breastfeeding, combination feeding, or formula feeding. The disparities in

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Unveiling North Carolina’s Maternal and Infant Health Data Dashboard: A Tool for Equity and Insight

Advocacy, ICO4MCH, News, Providers, Racial Equity / Breastfeed Durham

Editor’s note (September 2026): This January 2025 post covers a statewide North Carolina data dashboard rather than Durham-specific information, and is kept here as part of Breastfeed Durham’s record. As parental health professionals, data enthusiasts, and advocates for health equity, we understand the power of accessible, well-organized data to drive informed decisions. North Carolina’s new Maternal

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2024 March of Dimes Report Card

Breastfeeding Communities, News, Racial Equity / Breastfeed Durham

The latest March of Dimes report for 2024 highlights concerning trends for Durham, showing a rise in preterm birth rates, now at 10.9% with a grade of D, up from 10.4%. This slight increase signals that challenges remain, despite significant breastfeeding and maternal health initiatives in the area. View the full North Carolina report below. Possible Factors Contributing

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