Advocates promote breastfeeding among minority moms

Breastfeeding advocates and public health officials held a fair in Bed-Stuy, hoping to convince mothers in minority communities to breastfeed. Organizers of the annual Breastfeeding Subway Caravan

News 12 Staff

Aug 8, 2015, 3:11 AM

Updated 3,412 days ago

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Breastfeeding advocates and public health officials held a fair in Bed-Stuy, hoping to convince mothers in minority communities to breastfeed.
Organizers of the annual Breastfeeding Subway Caravan Fair say the practice is beneficial to both babies and mothers alike.
"Our people do not breastfeed, and it's important to get the message across," says Merowe Nubyahn.
Officials say it could be because many minority women work in the service industry, where space is at a premium, leaving them with no place to pump breast milk.
Advocates say it's important for mothers to know their rights -- like the fact that breastfeeding is allowed in public spaces and employers are required to give mothers two breaks for pumping. Problems can be reported to the attorney general's office.
They say mothers can and should breastfeed regardless of their circumstances.
"We need her to leave her home, go to her place of worship, be able to go to work, be able to go to the plaza out here, and nurse her baby," says Sharon Marshall-Taylor, a public health official.