The Milk That Built America Reflective Journey - Melody's Story

This is a story from CEC awardee Blacktation Certified. Blacktation Certified is a Colorado-based group working to advocate for Black parents who face distinct systemic barriers rooted in racism to support during the breastfeeding stage in their child’s lives.

The organization used its funds to host healing and breastfeeding circles to explore seven topics and the intersectionality of social determinants of health (SDOH).

The process involved a seven-day asynchronous journey exploring the following themes through The Milk that Built America, a peer support breastfeeding curriculum:

Day 1: Honoring the Mothers/Nurturers Before Us

Day 2: The reemerge (from the darkness) from self, new identity, a mother, but still an individual

Day 3: The Duality of Life (mother and child dyad)

Day 4: Rooted & Release

Day 5: Flow into the Let Down (navigating expectations)

Day 6: #LifesNectar

Day 7: The Stillness of the Night

“These seven themes will be explored in a group setting, then individual stories will be highlighted and featured to allow a wider audience to be educated, promote exploration and demonstrate exhibition of these unique experiences and how we are related in our human experiences,” Blacktation Certified representatives said.

Melody, a mother of five spanning two decades recalls the various differences and cultural norms she navigated during her breastfeeding journey. The Honoring the Mothers/Nurturers Before Us session reminded Melody of the significance and legacy she has contributed to in being part of four generations of nursers in her family.