Breastfeeding is a touchy subject. Despite efforts by lactivists to normalize it in the public eye, mothers everywhere must contend with numerous and varied barriers to nursing, and nowhere is this true more than with black mothers.
The statistics are out there and easy to find. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants until at least 12 months of age if possible, but according to a study published by the CDC in 2012, black women are only about half as likely to be breastfeeding their infants at 6 and 12 months. There are a number of reasons for this, both culturally and economically. Certainly one part of the problem is that WIC may actively discourage breastfeeding by pushing free formula, which is one issue among a multitude of problems with the program. Lack of supportive work policies is another largely cited issue. Black women are less likely to take a full 12-week maternity leave, and many cite a return to work as a reason for quitting.
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Whatever the reasons, it’s clear that black women need more targeted information and support regarding breastfeeding, so I was thrilled when The Leaky Boob posted on Facebook that this week was the first annual Black Breastfeeding Week. Finally, black mothers were getting the kind of tailored promotion they needed in order to get informed and supported in their breastfeeding journey. Surely this was something the whole BF community could get behind, right?
Cue the most ridiculous torrent of privileged and racist bullshit I have ever seen in the mom community. Lots of it was similar to the refrain I’ve been hearing every February since elementary school, when white people get all affronted and ask “When’s WHITE History Month?” (That’s every other month of the year, people. There is no shortage of celebration of white people in America, so untwist thy panties on the pronto, por favor.) It seems lots of mothers didn’t understand why the black community got a breastfeeding week all to themselves, and felt excluded. Unsurprisingly, the phrase “race card” got dropped a lot. Some even called it reverse racism. (By the way, there’s no such thing as “reverse racism.” Racism is racism, no matter which race is on the receiving end.) There was a huge outpouring of defense and support for black women, which is somewhat heartening, but I couldn’t get over how gobsmacked I was by the negative reaction so many women had to an event that was supposed to foster support and love, not outrage and hatred.
I’m a middle-class straight white female living in a very open and accepting college town in the Midwest. About the only thing that could give me more advantage in society would be having a penis. Despite being shielded from the unique challenges faced by black women struggling to breastfeed, I still recognize that these challenges exist and that they require a lot of help to surmount. Rather than feeling left out, I look at Black Breastfeeding Week as an opportunity as an ally to reach out to a group within the mom community that clearly needs attention, and bolster and encourage them just like I do with any woman struggling to raise her kids.
If you’re still not sure why black women need their own week of breastfeeding promotion, head over to the Mocha Manual and check out this post by Kimberly Seals Allers. It spells out the top five reasons Black Breastfeeding Week is needed, and why you should spread the word about this important movement in lactivism.
As for The Leaky Boob, Jessica and the other admins have done a really good job at deleting the divisive comments as quickly as they can, but undoubtedly not before they managed to offend a whole mess of readers. I know Jessica herself has been extremely upset personally about the whole thing, and I can’t say I blame her. It was a really shitty situation. But I think I speak for most readers when I say that the community of support that she and the others at TLB have fostered has been incredibly inspiring and helpful for women of all walks of life who have struggled with the challenges inherent in breastfeeding (self included!), and most of us are more than willing to support any effort she promotes to help encourage breastfeeding in any context.
For more information on Black Breastfeeding Week, please visit the movement’s Facebook page. Twitter discussions regarding the event are being tagged #BBW13, so that’s also a great place to get information and learn how you can help share in the effort.