The words, “protect, promote and support breastfeeding” may not seem controversial, but to the shock and dismay of international delegates, the United States adamantly opposed these words just this summer at the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly. A New York Times article reported, "the United States delegation, embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers, upended the deliberations" for a resolution that would have supported infant breastfeeding around the globe.
Such actions highlight the necessity to explore forces seen and unseen that push against a parent's ability to breastfeed. To honor August as International Breastfeeding Month and August 25 -31 as Black Breastfeeding Week our Collaboratory, Breastfeeding Policies: Global Trends, Conflicts of Interests and Consequences of Marginalized Communities, hosted a brilliant panel of national experts who dissected the historical and systemic issues that relate to breastfeeding. You can watch the full panel presentation, here.
"The narrative that black women don't breastfeed is not true [...] How we frame breastfeeding is often dangerous and unfair to those who are doing their best to meet those goals especially if we haven't set them up to meet those goals with proper legislation and support" - Ifeyinwa V. Asiodu, PhD, RN, IBCLC
Moderator
- Ifeyinwa V. Asiodu is an Assistant Professor at the UCSF School of Nursing. Dr. Asiodu is a public health nurse, researcher and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
Panelists
- Aunchalee Palmquist is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health and the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
- Chyvonne Washington is the Program Supervisor for San Mateo County's Black Infant Health program.
- Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, author and a nationally recognized media commentator, consultant and advocate for breastfeeding and infant health.
- Robbie Gonzalez-Dow is the Executive Director of the California Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC) and one of the co-leads of the Breastfeeding Action Network.
Photos
See our Facebook Page for more photos from the event.
