A Statement from the ABC Board:
The Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition Board believes that Black and Indigenous lives, families and communities matter and acknowledge that our country’s legacy is a history of racism and ongoing systemic inequities. Only targeted actions can begin to heal pain and advance health equity. We have been working hard to expand our collaboration with other Alaskan organizations which support breastfeeding and maternal/child health.
We the Board, and members of the Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition, welcome all voices and perspectives in our mission to empower families in their breastfeeding goals. Our vision is a Healthy Alaska Through Breastfeeding. That vision is only possible with the commitment to strive toward equity for all lives of Black, Indigenous, or otherwise marginalized communities through our mission to support education, advocacy, and fostering systems change.
The ABC and the individuals who lead it will stumble, take missteps and fall in our work. From our hearts we strive to be supportive by listening to the guiding voices of those around us through the current and ongoing thoughtful, sometimes painful, and respectful discussions, and continued education on the issues involved.
Diversity & Inclusion:
The Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition values inclusion, diversity, and equity as core values, embracing meaningful participation by diverse stakeholders, and seeks varied viewpoints. All people who desire to work to promote our mission and vision are welcome as members of the Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition. We do not discriminate by position, gender, race, national origin, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, family status, formal education, life experience, religion, communication styles, geographic location, work-related skill sets and experience.
For additional support, check out these resources: https://www.rootmama.co/blog/top-black-breastfeeding-orgs
https://www.faceresources.org/indigenous-breastfeeding/
A message from the President:
Anticipating the ongoing closure of the BP Energy Center, the ABC Board of Directors has made the decision to bring you an entirely ZOOM conference on September 21 and 22, 2020. Please visit our EVENTS page to review minor changes to the agenda and to complete your registration! There is now reduced pricing (if you previously registered at full price you will be contacted and receive a partial refund). We have also received consent from the speakers to make the session available for download if you are unable to attend live (for credit there will be questions to answer for each session).
If you missed our fabulous summer sessions in June, July, and August, they were amazing! I want to thank all of our volunteer speakers again for sharing their experiences and expertise. Some of our summer sessions are now targeted for more expansive educational offerings in the future.
Please continue to access links to reliable professional News & Resources pages previously posted on emerging information related to Breastfeeding & COVID-19. This includes a special link for sharing and reading stories of how COVID-19 has impacted infant feeding all over the country.
We appreciate your continued support. Consider RENEWING NOW or JOINING for only $10, which helps us grow our network of interested personal and professional contacts within and outside of Alaska!
Dr. Heidi Koslo, ABC President