As we welcome in Black History month, Breastfeed Durham is unapologetically committed to racial equity. We are passionate about illuminating racial disparities associated with Black Maternal Health and advocating for the needs of Black breastfeeding families. We celebrate, elevate, and champion Black breastfeeding parents and families in cultivating breastfeeding-friendly communities through policy, system, and institutional change. Reaching those who have been historically marginalized through innovative strategies and utilizing an equity lens is critical to the First Food Equity Movement. This month, we continue our First Food Equity Series to discuss Gaps in Care for Lactating Families and we have our Black Breastfeeding Coalition meeting.

We celebrate Black History Month by acknowledging our Black people in the things that we do to make a difference in the world. Whether it’s acting, singing, inventing, breastfeeding, or humanitarian efforts, we celebrate “the Black people who have built this country.” Let’s do something different this month. In 2020-2022, celebrities and more people were speaking out about Black Maternal Mortality and the importance of what it is doing to our Black women and their families. In 2022, there were so many people speaking up and making everyone aware of what’s going on in maternal health within our Black community...

In this session of the Building Blocks to Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Learning Bursts, we focus on infant and young toddler classrooms where children are beginning to wean from breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding. Email Breastfeed Durham if you view any of the child care videos. We have an opportunity to secure additional funding if we can document that 35 providers have viewed the videos. 

This newsletter was made possible with the financial contributions of the Durham County Department of Public Health as part of the Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health Grant and donors like you.