Issue No. 6: Food, Nutrition, and Access in Our Communities
Photography + Words - Gina Brocker

For over 40 years, there has been a widely documented racial disparity in breastfeeding rates and maternal health statistics for white and Black mothers. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Black babies die at more than twice the rate of white babies, and during pregnancy, Black women are three to four times more likely to die than white women. 

According to the CDC, increased breastfeeding among Black women could decrease infant mortality rates by as much as 50%. Breast milk reduces the likelihood of upper respiratory infections, Type II diabetes, asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and childhood obesity; illnesses that can be rampant in communities without the proper support. And yet, 75% of white women have breastfed, while only 58.9% of Black women have the support to do so.

Black women face unique cultural barriers and a complex history with breastfeeding. From their role as wet nurses in slavery, as they were forced to breastfeed and nurture slave owners’ children to the detriment of their own children, to the lack of mainstream role models and multi-generational support, to the stereotyping in their own community. Black women can also face economic hardship as mothers, and are generally provided less support with lactation in the hospital system.

The blatant racial disparities in breastfeeding rates are also clear in breastfeeding leadership, which is white, female-led. The lack of culturally appropriate mainstream support perpetuates the misconception that Black women don’t breastfeed and further puts Black mothers and children at risk. Dialogue around breastfeeding needs further inclusivity, visibility, and cultural sensitivity, to support Black mothers and children. 

After personally navigating uncomfortable and challenging situations, the need to share the realities of breastfeeding led me to begin this project. Usually worn in a wrap–and often nursing–my son, later my daughter, and I ventured into over 50 Boston families’ homes and lives to document their typical breastfeeding routines. Hearing and sharing the realities of breastfeeding empowers families and normalizes this very natural and beneficial part of life.