Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
USBC Working Definition of Equity
Our working definition of equity is compiled from the examples of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Center for Social Inclusion, Collective Impact literature, and others. It views equity as three interwoven components: a lens, a mirror, and an outcome.
- It is a lens through which we view the world to inform and guide the design of our strategies and activities to build a "landscape of breastfeeding support."
- It is also a mirror through which we view ourselves and our organizations, examining our internal structures, culture, and policies and their impact on how the lens is applied and the outcome achieved.
- Lastly, it is the outcome we seek to achieve, i.e., equity is realized when life outcomes are equal, in a statistical sense, regardless of one’s identities.
Equity work can take the form of actions designed to address historic burdens as well as to remove present-day barriers to equal opportunities. It can be accomplished by identifying and eliminating systemic discriminatory policies and practices, but also by transforming structures towards access, justice, self-determination, redistribution, and sharing of power and resources. Above all, it requires an inclusive approach that maximizes engagement of the communities impacted.
USBC CRASH Committee & Transformation Teams
In August 2013, the USBC Board of Directors formed the CRASH Committee to enhance USBC governance, membership, personnel, and coalitions' ability to build structures, systems, and a culture of inclusiveness and mutual support for all peoples. The committee's name comes from the name of a cultural competency training program for medical professionals. "CRASH" is a mnemonic for the following essential components of culturally competent health care: consider Culture, show Respect, Assess/Affirm differences, show Sensitivity and Self-awareness, and do it all with Humility.
The CRASH Committee has developed a set of recommendations for the USBC in each of its four areas and is serving as the driver of cultural change within the organization by forging a national-level dialogue with an emphasis towards action on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is working in Transformation Teams to prioritize and implement policy and structural changes in each of its four domains: governance/leadership, membership, staff/personnel, and coalitions.
Racial Equity Webinars
The United States Breastfeeding Committee hosts this series of bi-monthly webinars as part of its efforts to "create and model a culture of inclusion, diversity & equity" (USBC Strategic Framework Goal 4). With funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this series will focus on building the capacity of the breastfeeding field to apply both an "equity lens" to inform and guide our external strategies and activities, but also an "equity mirror" to examine our internal structures, culture, and policies. Webinars are held every two months (in odd-numbered months) on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET.
Access Info
Access to these webinars is open to all in the USBC network of member and partner organizations and breastfeeding coalitions. Topic/speaker details are posted 1-2 weeks before each session on this page and in the Racial Equity Learning Community. The recordings and presentation materials from all past sessions are archived below.
Register for the webinar series
NOTE: To streamline access, these webinars are set up in GotoWebinar as a series. You only need to register for the series once, and you will then receive auto-reminders of each session with the topic/speaker details. Even though you may not be able to attend every webinar session live, the series registration will still send you auto-reminders so that you have easy updates on the topic and links to the live webinar and archives.
Join the Racial Equity Online Learning Community
The USBC has been funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to host this community as part of an inclusive learning and transformation process for the "First Food" field. The community will build the capacity of the breastfeeding field to apply both an "equity lens" to inform and guide our external strategies and activities, but also an "equity mirror" to examine our internal structures, culture, and policies.
Next Webinar
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 • CANCELLED
Important Links:
Previous Webinar
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 • 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Important Links:
Advocating for Families Who Have Been Failed by the Heath Care and Legal Systems
Presented by:
Jada Wright Nichols, IBCLC, Maternal Wellness Consultant, Blossom Health and Maternal Wellness
Parents who receive less than adequate breastfeeding support in the hospital, or in the community, are being penalized by the legal system for having limited resources. Their infants are being removed from their homes, and the parents are being charged with felonious crimes. Breastfeeding advocates can help, by providing social and legal institutions with basic breastfeeding education, and biological norms. Connecting coalitions or advocacy organizations, like the Tennessee Breastfeeding Coalition and Birthwright Consultants to legal and human service organizations, can help to change the fate of countless families. Working with students at the university level in social work, law, education, nursing, and medicine could also alter the future of breastfeeding policies in local communities and across the country. This presentation will discuss how and when to approach and impact policies to prevent medical kidnapping and unnecessary arrests, based upon actual cases of advocacy and support.
Webinar Archives
To search the archives by keyword, speaker name, and more, visit the file library in the Racial Equity Learning Community.
