Renewing the USBC Commitment to Equity as we Seek to Grow the USBC Membership Network

​​The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee hosted its Winter Membership Meeting on Thursday, February 23. The biannual event brings together representatives from the more than 120 member organizations which comprise the USBC and work collaboratively to drive policy and practice changes that create a landscape of breastfeeding support.

At the opening of the meeting, USBC Executive Director, Nikia Sankofa delivered the Mission Moment, reflecting on the organization's ongoing journey to embedding and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our work in the First Food field and emphasizing our renewed commitment to working towards not just DEI but also justice and belonging. Below is an excerpt from Nikia's mission moment.

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Nikia Sankofa

“DEI is ongoing work that is never-ending and ever-evolving. At the USBC, our practice has been to lead with race, and this remains critical. While continuing to center race, it's essential that we consciously expand our efforts to include other social categorizations, such as class, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, etc., as these are people and communities who also experience systemic discrimination. In our work, we must be especially mindful of fostering an environment with our words, actions, and policies where people and organizations representing groups and communities that have been oppressed, forced to the margins, or made invisible are made to feel safe and welcome, as if they belong. Speaking of belonging, one of my current goals is to expand our DEI efforts by bringing in the elements of justice and belonging.​" 

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​We are inviting organizations that are implementing policies, programs, or practices that advance the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding and human milk feeding to join the USBC membership.​

The membership of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee represents the most unified voice in advocating for breastfeeding-related policy and practice change in the United States. 

​Joining the USBC membership network provides an organization access to a variety of benefits, including:

• peer to peer networking and learning opportunities
• discounted and complimentary event registrations
• input on identifying and selecting USBC’s policy priorities for each Congressional session
• complimentary access to the First Food Connection Hub, the new USBC online community for breastfeeding and human milk-feeding stakeholders

Learn more about membership and review frequently asked questions.

Organizations that complete the membership application and onboarding process by Sunday, March 12, at 11:59 p.m. will be entered into a raffle to win one complimentary registration to the June 8-10, 2023 National Breastfeeding Conference and Convening in Bethesda, MD. Additionally, new members are eligible to apply to the Creating Space Scholarship, which awards complimentary membership for 2023. Apply today!

Please email membership@usbreastfeeding.org with questions about USBC membership. We look forward to receiving your organization’s application and having you join our national collaborative!