Nurturely is excited to announce our partnership with CardCraft, a Black-founded and owned business based in Portland, Oregon. This collaboration is not just about creating beautiful art; it represents a powerful alliance in advocating for lactation equity and cultural inclusion.
August: A Month of Lactation Awareness and Advocacy
We launched our partnership in August, a significant month for lactation awareness as it is recognized as National Breastfeeding Month. Throughout this month, the world comes together to celebrate the beauty and importance of breastfeeding and human milk feeding. It begins with World Breastfeeding Week, followed by Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week, and culminating with Black Breastfeeding Week. These events are essential in highlighting the diverse experiences of lactating parents across different cultures and communities.
Our Core Belief: Human Milk as a Human Right
At Nurturely, we firmly believe that human milk is a human right. We advocate for lactation equity, aiming to eliminate racial inequities in pregnancy, postpartum, and infant health. Lactation equity is not just about personal choice; it is about ensuring that every parent, regardless of their background, has access to culturally-relevant lactation support and resources.
A Collective Vision: Celebrating Multicultural and Underrepresented Lactation
Our partnership with CardCraft goes beyond a business alliance. It is a celebration of multicultural lactation and a commitment to advocating for lactation as a human rights issue. We worked together to create an exclusive art collection that captures the essence of lactation and the diverse experiences of parents from different global communities.
For example, this card design aims to represent bodyfeeding in Indigenous communities around the world, which so often occurs out-and-about with baby attached to caregiver’s body, participating in life as a dyad.
Uplifting Lactation Awareness Through Art
The prints designed by CardCraft artists serve as powerful reminders of the historical and cultural inequities in lactation access.
For example, this card design amplifies Black bodyfeeding. Due to historical barriers, including the trauma of enslavement and being forced into oppressive wet nursing, as well as present-day barriers, including racism in perinatal care and lack of culturally-matched support, Black breast/chestfeeding rates are consistently the lowest. Lack of representation of Black bodyfeeding exacerbates these inequities. By leaning into the mantra that #BlackWomenDOBreastfeed and the work started by the Founders of Black Breastfeeding Week, this card aims to prioritize the joy and commitment of Black parents who are reclaiming being able to feed their baby from their body.
Through their art, we hope to raise awareness about the systemic and cultural barriers that parents face when seeking to nourish their babies with human milk. Use these cards to tell stories, spark conversations, and inspire action towards creating a more equitable and supportive environment for lactating parents.
Why This Partnership Matters
CardCraft’s commitment to anti-racism and advocacy aligns perfectly with Nurturely’s core values. Together, we can bridge the public and private sectors to create impactful opportunities for change. Art has a unique power to touch hearts and change minds. Through the art created by CardCraft’s artists, we hope to foster a deeper understanding of lactation as a human right and the importance of culturally relevant lactation support.
Join the Celebration
We’re excited to be working with CardCraft – and with YOU! – to make sure multicultural, global lactation is celebrated and equitable access to human milk is prioritized.
Now’s a great time to use these cards to send a quick note to a friend, fellow parent, or community advocate that you admire. Sending this card (and letting CardCraft do the handwriting and the mailing for you!) is a great easy way to spread the lactation equity love all year long.