August 31 marked the end of National Breastfeeding Month. Within that month is Black Breastfeeding Week, celebrated from Aug. 25 to 31.
The week was created by three Black women, Kimberly Seals Allers, Kiddada Green and Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka, to raise awareness about the racial disparity in breastfeeding rates. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirm this disparity by conducting a study that shows 74% of Black infants have been breastfed compared to 86.6% of white infants.