Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 36
• Targeted support to help women
of color overcome barriers to
breastfeeding should be offered
at all WIC agencies. Local
communities should design their
own programs using programs such
as CinnaMoms in Los Angeles as
models. The African American
Breastfeeding Network151 or the Black
Mother’s Breastfeeding Association
should also be consulted152 to develop
relevant programs that complement
existing efforts.
• WIC policies should seek to
reduce the impacts of racism
and strengthen the agency’s
relationships with women of color
and their families. According to
the National Institutes of Health,
racism in “both its institutional
and individual forms” is the
largest contributing factor to lower
breastfeeding initiation and
duration rates (see glossary) among
African American, Indigenous, and
Native Hawaiian women,153 Racism
also undermines the ability of WIC
participants to trust WIC staff and
benefit from services. The following
actions would help counter racism
affecting WIC participants:
Reevaluate the qualifications
required to become a peer
counselor and a licensed
lactation consultant. Until the
mid-20th century, many babies
born in the south, both African
American and white, were
delivered by African American
women health providers known as
“granny midwives.”154 Toward the
end of the 19th century, childbirth
began to become medicalized in
some cities, and African American
midwife practices were made
illegal or forced to comply with
strict requirements for medical
training and expensive licensing.
Many African American midwives
could not afford this training
36
BRIEF HISTORY
Low breastfeeding rates among African Americans date back to
slavery, when African American mothers suffered the historical
trauma of being forced to breastfeed their master’s children
instead of their own children.
Similar to enslaved African women, Indigenous women had a
strong tradition of breastfeeding their children this first food.
But disruption of family ties and culture under U.S. government
policies such as forced relocation and removal of children to
boarding schools significantly weakened this tradition.
Later, both corporations2 and early WIC offices exerted significant
pressure on African American and Indigenous communities to
purchase and use formula.
In addition to the historical trauma from racism, racism is
also embedded in the structure of the daily lives of women of
color, from the neighborhood or reservation in which she lives,
to the low-wage job that she works, to the water she drinks
and the environment she lives in, all being shaped by racially
unjust policies. These are examples of racism women of color
experience today—conditions that cause chronic stress and
affect lactation.3 Oxytocin is a chemical in the body that causes
milk to flow freely from the breast.4 However, when a person is
stressed or scared, adrenaline is released. That adrenaline then
inhibits the oxytocin, causing low lactation or milk flow.5
Many women of color do not have the resources to seek lactation
support. Those who do sometimes report receiving poor care or
being discouraged from breastfeeding because of racist attitudes
in the medical and allied health fields.6 7 Such incidents deepen
mistrust of healthcare professionals and contribute to a lower
likelihood of initiating breastfeeding among mothers of color.8
For more historical context and information on historical trauma,
see Appendix 1 and the glossary. For more on the impact of
pervasive racism, see Appendix 2.
West, E. and Knight, R. J. “Mothers’ milk: slavery, wetnursing, and black and white women in the
Antebellum South.” University of Reading. 2017. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/66788/7/article%20
%281%29%20%281%29.pdf
2
Corporations aggressively marketing formula to African American mothers in the early to mid-1900s.
Ibid http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/66788/7/article%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf
3
“Miles to Go Before We Sleep: Racial Inequities in Health.” National Center for Biotechnology
Information, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. September 2012.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712789/
4
“Stress and Breastfeeding: How to Protect Your Milk Supply.” Rachel Obrien.
https://www.rachelobrienibclc.com/blog/stress-and-breastfeeding-protect-milk-supply/
5
Ibid6 According to a recent study of 36 International Board Certified Lactation Consultants who
assist mothers with breastfeeding, there were reports of instances of patients of color receiving
unequal care and of healthcare providers making racist remarks to patients.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29557297
7
Some women of color, particularly African American women, have even encountered healthcare
providers who completely discourage breastfeeding. “Enhancing Breastfeeding through Healthcare
Support: Results from a Focus Group Study of African American Mothers.” National Center for
Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5290044/
8
Ibid.
1
APPLYING RACIAL EQUITY TO U.S. FEDERAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: SNAP, WIC AND CHILD NUTRITION
