Love Anderson wants to normalize and encourage breastfeeding in Durham’s public spaces. That’s why illustrated “Breastfeeding Welcome” signs are popping up in the city’s parks.
Anderson, the chief operations officer of the health equity advocacy group Breastfeed Durham, came up with the idea based on her own experiences breastfeeding her two sons. The project is a collaboration between Breastfeed Durham and Durham Parks and Recreation.
“I was nursing my two that were born a little too close together—you have a lot of breasts out when you’re tandem nursing,” Anderson says. “I was often asked to cover up or move, and a lot of people made comments that made me feel like it had something to do with being brown.
“It happened a lot in Durham parks, where you think we’re in this liberal city, we’re in the City of Medicine.”
Breast milk has proven health benefits, but social stigma surrounding breastfeeding outside the home can dissuade families from doing it, according to the National Institutes of Health. Breastfeed Durham wants to create intentional spaces for families to breastfeed comfortably and break down that stigma.
The group commissioned L Jámal Walton, a local comic creator and pop artist who has created art for GoDurham and Discover Durham, to do digital illustrations for the signs. Walton’s six illustrations celebrate the diversity of people and families who breastfeed.
The images are based on research on the different reasons families are asked to cover up or move when breastfeeding, Anderson says. “They’re all based in discrimination: people don’t like your race. People perceive you as being the wrong income, the wrong citizenship, not female enough, too much areola is showing.”
Walton’s first illustration shows a person with a single mastectomy breastfeeding their baby with their partner at their side.
“Progressively they just got more and more inclusive, pushing the boundaries more,” Walton says. “The only real feedback I got was, can we get more areola?”
The illustrations show breastfeeding parents across a spectrum of race and gender expression. One smiles blissfully as she breastfeeds her baby. Another appears tired but determined. Each illustration reads “Breastfeeding Welcome” and “Lactancia Bienvenida,” the Spanish translation.
Breastfeed Durham and DPR plan to install 40 signs across Durham’s public parks in the coming weeks, Anderson says. So far, 17 have been installed.
Breastfeed Durham wants to make sure all families in Durham, but particularly Black and marginalized families, have access to resources and support around breastfeeding. Anderson describes breast milk as a “great equalizer” for all the health benefits it delivers: excellent nutrition, immune support, and protection from heart disease and certain cancers later in life.
She and Breastfeed Durham see expanding access to breastfeeding as one way to lower racial health disparities in Durham County, beginning with disproportionately high infant mortality rates for Black babies. In 2017, the county’s Black infant mortality rate was 11.9 per 1,000 live births, compared to 3.8 for white infants. The statistic mirrors state- and nationwide disparities.
“Not only are we lowering infant mortality, we’re lowering the racial disparity,” Anderson says. “And there’s not a lot of things that do that.”
Breastfeed Durham shares a slate of breastfeeding resources online, sets up lactation spaces in local businesses to make them “breastfeeding friendly,” and convenes culture- and identity-based affinity groups of breastfeeding parents.
Mary Unterreiner, DPR’s public information and communication manager, says the city is getting good feedback about the new signs.
“People are really responding to it,” Unterreiner says. “They’re beautiful pieces, and people connect with the images, the concept. Everyone should feel included and welcome and comfortable feeding their children.”
Breastfeed Durham is piloting this project and analogous groups in 20 other cities want to replicate it, according to Anderson.
“Everybody keeps saying, can we use your art?” she says. “Do we have the rights to share? We do. Should you use them? I would say no, because this represents our city.”
The artworks were created to be Durham-specific, Walton explains. Each one features a hidden bull motif and the red, yellow and blue shades, and seven stars of Durham’s city flag.
“Art is everywhere in Durham, and we wanted art that looks like Durham,” Anderson says.
Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that the infant mortality rate for Durham County is per 1,000 live births.
Reach Reporter Chloe Courtney Bohl at [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].
You must be logged in to post a comment.