Equity – Diversity – Inclusion

WHAT IS EQUITY?

Equity can be viewed as three interwoven components: a lens, a mirror, and an outcome.

It is a lens through which we view the world to inform and guide the design of our strategies and activities to build a “landscape of breastfeeding support.”
It is also a mirror through which we view ourselves and our organizations, examining our internal structures, culture, and policies and their impact on how the lens is applied and the outcome achieved.
Lastly it is the outcome we seek to achieve, i.e., equity is realized when life outcomes are equal, in a statistical sense, regardless of one’s identities.

Equity work can take the form of actions designed to address historic burdens as well as to remove present day barriers to equal opportunities. It can be accomplished by identifying and eliminating systemic discriminatory policies and practices, but also by transforming structures towards access, justice, self-determination, redistribution, and sharing of power and resources. Above all, it requires an inclusive approach that maximizes engagement of the communities impacted.

From the United States Breastfeeding Committee’s website.

Find Kindred’s Black Mothers and Fathers Resources page.

GET INVOLVED

Follow and connect with community-based organizations where you live, and help if you can:

VIDEOS

Allegories on race and racism, by Camara Jones, A TEDx Talk

How Racism Makes Us Sick, by David Williams, PhD

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, by Dr. Joy DeGruy

HEALING PRACTICES FOR WHITE PRIVILEGE AND RACISM

The Somatic Experience of White Privilege: A Dance/Movement Therapy Approach to Racialized Interactions

EQUITY AND WHITE SUPREMACY IN NONPROFIT CULTURE

White Women Doing White Supremacy in Nonprofit Culture. By Heather Laine Talley. Tzedek (pronounced “tz” as in ritz, TZEH-dek) is the Hebrew word meaning justice, which is at the heart of our mission.

Characteristics of White Supremacy in Nonprofit Culture and Corporate Organizations. From Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, ChangeWork, 2001.

NATIONAL LGBTQ SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONSN

EQUITY AND BREASTFEEDING

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a report titled “Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among U.S. Infants Born in 2015.” Published as part of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the report concludes that among infants who had initiated breastfeeding, differences between black infants and white infants in any and exclusive breastfeeding at ages 3 and 6 months were smaller but still present. The authors add that increasing rates of breastfeeding initiation and supporting continuation of breastfeeding among black women might help reduce disparities in breastfeeding duration. Strategies might include improving peer and family support, access to evidence-based maternity care, and employment support.

The following resources are provided courtesy of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition.

LGBTQ EQUITY

Books:

Where’s the Mother? Stories from a Transgender Dad, by Trevor McDonald
Breastfeeding without Birthing, by Alyssa Schnell

Articles:

Lactation Support and the LGBTQI Community, by Alice Farrow
Transgender parents and chest/breastfeeding, by Trevor McDonald

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Transgender Breastfeeding, by Diana West

Two Women and a Baby: LGBTQ and Breastfeeding, By Tipper Gallagher

10 Tips For Caring For LGBTQ Patients, by Anne Devine

Podcasts:

Breastfeeding Outside the Box – Alyssa Schnell

Resource lists: