Every year from August 25–31, Black Breastfeeding Week  (BBW) brings the Black community together to celebrate, uplift, and advocate for Black families and their breast/chest feeding journeys.

Black Breastfeeding Week  was originally designated in 2013 by nationally recognized breastfeeding advocates and Black maternal health trailblazers Kimberly Seals Allers, Kiddada Green, and Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka. Since its inception, the campaign has raised awareness about the racial disparities in breastfeeding rates while empowering breast/chestfeeding persons within the Black community. 

The 2026 theme “We All We Got - 14 Years of Community, Care, and Collective Power” is a powerful reflection of that history.  It reminds us that change doesn't happen alone, it happens when community workers, healthcare professionals, advocates, businesses, and partners come together to provide lactating mothers and birthing persons with the support and resources  they need to begin and stay the course throughout their breast/chestfeeding journey.

Building Safe Spaces Across Los Angeles County

That spirit of collective power is at the heart of the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative’s work. Rooted in the belief that we are stronger when we work together, the AAIMM Community Action Teams bring their unique experiences, expertise, resources, and relationships to the table to address the systemic and community-based factors that affect the health of Black moms and babies.

Through collaboration, partnership, and action, CATs help turn community concerns into tangible solutions that support Black families and create healthier, more equitable communities. 

In 2022, the AAIMM Community Action Teams, in collaboration with BreastFeedLA, launched a grassroots effort to engage businesses in Los Angeles County and invite them to publicly designate themselves as Safe Spaces for Black moms/birthing persons to breast/chestfeed. 

The idea was to alter the stigma around breast/chestfeeding in public and normalize moms/birthing persons feeding their babies any and everywhere. Through a community-centered photoshoot, featuring Black families at different locations around Los Angeles County, participating businesses received with Safe Space window decals, posters and tabletop tents to display. 

By making space for Black families in their communities, businesses became part of a larger movement to normalize breast/chestfeeding and affirm that families belong everywhere.

From Safe Spaces to Community Care

In 2023 AAIMM and BreastFeedLA continued building on that partnership by creating the Safe Space Breastfeeding Tent, transforming the Safe Space concept into a visible welcoming resource at community events across LA County.

The tent has become more than a physical space. It represents what happens when organizations listen to community needs and work together to create practical solutions. The Safe Space tent has provided a place of comfort and reprieve for hundreds of moms, dads, babies, and families - while creating opportunities for connection, education, and support.

Supporting Black Families Through Community, Care, and Connection

AAIMM continues to support Black Breast/Chest Feeding Week by hosting community events, connecting families to Lactation Specialists and Consultants, and by sharing tips, education, and resources.

AAIMM believes that breast/chest feeding helps Black moms and birthing persons offset the negative impact of stress that racism has on our bodies and those of our babies. It helps create a healthy and joyous start to Black babies’ lives by providing optimal nutrition and a beautiful bonding experience. 

It is resistance. It is beautiful. It is raw. It is community care and collective activism. 

We All We Got - and We’ll Keep Showing Up

“We All We Got” is more than a theme. It is a reminder that Black maternal and infant health is strengthened through relationships, partnerships, trust, and collective care. Every Safe Space created, every family connected to a resource and supported through their breast/chestfeeding journey, and every conversation that helps normalize feeding is part of a larger movement toward healthier Black families and communities.

As we celebrate 14 years of Black Breastfeeding Week, AAIMM remains committed to standing alongside Black families and partners across Los Angeles County to build communities where every family has the support, dignity, and resources to thrive.

Connect With Breast/Chestfeeding Resources

For more information and Breast/Chest Feeding tips and resources, visit BlackInfantsandFamiles.org/Breastfeeding