Celebrating Black Breastfeeding with BEAP

BIPOC- and Women-Owned Businesses

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Right now the United States is experiencing a baby formula shortage. A shortage in baby formula has directly impacted moms of color, in particular, Black moms. Supply chain demands are the root of the current shortage & a recall from Abbott - a major baby formula supplier that produces the similac brand - due to contamination worsened the blow. Between Nov. 2021 - April 2022, the out-of-stock rate jumped to 31% from between 2 and 8% in the first half of 2021. This also impacts young children with food allergies. The factors that contribute to Black women's low breastfeeding rate are manifold, complex and interconnected. They include race-targeted marketing, unequal distribution of resources for new mothers and historical and present discrimination. Underlying these factors is the symbiotic relationship between the US government and formula corporations. Even as women face pressure to breastfeed during the formula shortage, Black women confront counterpressure and less support.

Celebrating Black Breastfeeding Tour and Panel discussion In conjunction with the county health department, community centers, local health providers, doula's and nurse midwives/midwives in Los Angeles, we will host four listening tours with panel discussions. By working with the local community centers we will be able to access more women and hear directly from them - their experiences and challenges. The tours and panel discussions will focus on the history of Black breastfeeding, celebrating Black Breastfeeding, be a resource to the community on breastfeeding and dig into some of the challenges faced and resources needed to help any mom if that is what she chooses! A Q&A with the community members and panelist will follow every tour.Each tour participant will receive PDF's of all program documentation and presentations. -Timeline-The four tours and panel discussions will take place over four months. One tour & panel discussion, per month -We hope to complete this within the calendar year as to better recognize the ongoing and immediate impacts of Covid. -Budget--With $10,000.00 --- $2,000.00 per county ----$7,000 - To retain panel participants / Operational Expenses ----$1,000 - Online Logistics / Advertising Platform The only way we can ensure we reach as many women as possible in our most neglected spaces is for us to be able to advertise the opportunity to increase accessibility and ensure that our panelist are appropriately compensated for their expertise and time.

Our goal and vision is to create a safe space for all women and moms who want to breastfeed. We want to house resources and tools that will ultimately support them and provide them with the confidence and support they may need to start their breastfeeding journey. We are an organization that is all about MOM and support our moms in whatever journey they want but always want to help our moms in their journeys in the most natural way. Whatever we can do to help Black moms breastfeed we are all about it!

We are on our way to completing the first pilot program of this tour in coordination with the YMCA. After this program we will measure our success by interviewing our moms who participated to gauge how helpful this was, what are some tools or resources they believe would better address their challenges and if there is a way in which they feel the panelist really answered their questions or didn't.