Kiddada Green, co-founder of Black Breastfeeding Week, is my guest on the podcast this week. As the Founding Executive Director of Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association, Kiddada has helped reduce racial inequities in breastfeeding support since 2007.
As a thought leader and innovator, Kiddada has made huge strides in the area of breastfeeding support, and policy making. She serves on various committees and special projects and has had work published internationally in Breastfeeding Medicine and other noteworthy publications. It’s no surprise she has been the recipient of many awards for the work she does and continues to do in support of black maternal and child health.
Celebrating 10 years of Black Breastfeeding Week
Black Breastfeeding Week has been running since 2012 and is marking its 10th anniversary this year.
Looking back on the past ten years, Kiddada explains why she and her other co-founders Kimberly Seals Allers and Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka first set up Black Breastfeeding Week. The aim was to bring greater awareness to breastfeeding in black and brown communities.
Kiddada explains what’s in store for this year’s Black Breastfeeding Week celebration, including an awards ceremony happening in New York City on 30th August. She also tells us know about the fundraising they are doing to support the work of Black Breastfeeding Week – which is run purely by volunteers.
On top of all this Kiddada goes on to explain the poignancy of this year’s theme: ‘A New Foundation’.
Listen to the full episode here
“We feel like Black Breastfeeding Week is at a pivotal point. We want to respect the traditions and history of black women and breastfeeding and at the same time look at what’s been done despite the historical trauma and atrocities that have happened.”
Kiddada Green
A New Foundation
During the episode Kiddada goes into detail about how she and her co-founders came up with this year’s theme: ‘a new foundation’. She explains how the theme organically came about and why they were inspired by Beyonce’s new album Renaissance.
Kiddada explains: “We feel like Black Breastfeeding Week is at a pivotal point. We want to respect the traditions and history of black women and breastfeeding and at the same time look at what’s been done despite the historical trauma and atrocities that have happened. We wanted to keep that in mind whilst looking at this new foundation which has been born through community. We’re excited by that and what will come in the next ten years.”
Podcast sponsors – The Mum Collective
Our sponsor of this episode of the boobingit podcast is the maternity and nursing clothing brand The Mum Collective. If you’re looking for beautiful and sustainable loungewear designed with breastfeeding mamas in mind then look no further! You can shop online at themumcollective.co.uk.
The Mum Collective is kindly giving boobingit listeners 10% of their collection. Shop now at themumcollective.co.uk.