BLACK BREASTFEEDING WEEK

'We All We Got'

August 25-31, 2026

Upcoming Dates & Times

Click the + sign to learn more about each event and register.

August 1, 2026 - Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening, 10:00am-2:00pm

In partnership with the Hoboken Family Planning Team, PHEI will support Free screenings from 10am-2pm EST on Satruday August 1st 2026 10:00am-2:00pm. CLICK HERE to register

This webinar is led by PHEI’s Clinical Director, Dr. Juleen Johnson-Augustin, and features neonatologist Dr. Ian Lee alongside NICU mom and PHEI Operations Director, Abena Ohene-Ntow.

Together, the panel will discuss how human milk serves as an infant’s first line of immunological defense, its lifesaving role for babies in the NICU, and why it should be recognized as medicine, not simply nutrition.

. CLICK TO REGISTER

This webinar will be led by PHEI’s team of IBCLC’s, Policy Director, and Birth Justice/IBCLC. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

In support of our community partner, Tru Doula, PHEI team member, Brittany Wright will facilitate a  presentation entitled Breastfeeding Justice on Thursday August 13th 2026 from 6:00pm-7:30pm.

Location: Boys and Girls Club Trenton New Jersey. 1040 Spruce Street.

August is World Breastfeeding Month, and Breakfast for Champions is where the Perinatal Health Equity Initiative gathers to meet that fight head-on. Join us on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as we kick off our observance of Black Breastfeeding Week, August 25 to 31, under this year’s theme, “We All We Got.”

This year’s breakfast holds New Jersey to its own promises. In 2019, the state passed laws expanding Medicaid coverage for lactation support and for donor human milk for babies born too soon. Six years later, the promise is still catching up to the law. The regulations needed to make donor milk accessible were not issued until 2025. The credentialing system that would let lactation providers actually bill Medicaid for their services, promised by 2024, still is not working, so coverage on paper is not yet care a mother can use. We will share where implementation stands, hear directly from mothers still living the gap, and write letters together that hold New Jersey accountable. Keynote speaker Clifton Kenon Jr. joins us to talk about building breastfeeding equity into every system meant to serve Black families. We will also present the Liquid Gold Award to this year’s honoree, announced soon, someone who has gone above and beyond for lactation support in our community.

Our goal is $35,000. A full lactation visit costs $250, more than many mothers can pay, which is why PHEI offers every visit on a sliding scale, sometimes at no cost at all. Your gift closes that gap.

  • $25 helps get a mother started

  • $100 gets her most of the way there

  • $250 covers her visit in full

Everything beyond that keeps our policy fight funded: the letters, the testimony, the pressure that makes New Jersey answer for a credentialing system it promised in 2024 and still hasn’t delivered. That is not just a number. It is home visits, consultations, and a policy fight New Jersey cannot keep ignoring.

Buy your seat. Bring a mother who needs this room. Or give what you can. Every gift moves us closer to $35,000, and closer to a New Jersey where breastfeeding support is not a fight Black mothers have to win alone.

We all we got. Build with us.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Join PHEI in our first Community Day as we honor and celebrate 15 years of Black Breastfeeding Week. This year’s theme is “We All We Got”.  The vibe/scene is backyard cookout meets block party.  We will have food, snacks, beverages, DJ, and family friendly. Learn about all of PHEI programs and meet our team! This is a FREE event, but registration is strongly encouraged to ensure we have a headcount. CLICK HERE to register.

This is fun packed day of community engagement! More details soon!
The Perinatal Health Equity Initiative centers its lactation acumen in the fabric of historical context of the Black Breastfeeding experience. Grounded in research, evidence-informed data, PHEI strives to uplift the history of Black Breastfeeding experience and the structures that support and at times diminish the importance of human milk. This webinar will dive deep into the historical context of BLACK BREASTFEEDING, naming traditional practices that support breastfeeding, policies and procedures that interfere with the black breastfeeding experience, and the unique challenges Black women encounter along their infant feeding journey. Led by Founder and Executive Director Dr. Nastassia K. Harris. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

We are excited to announce our first lactation clinical skills day!  Attendees will be walked through various lactation stations to improve their skills and knowledge in supporting lactating families.  Light bites will be served.  Space is limited 25 students max!   The night will also include lactation trivia, giveaways and more! Some skills you can expect to learn include:

  • Latch assessments
  • Hand expression and antenatal collection
  • Weighted feeds
  • Flange fittings and more! 

 Thanks to a generous sponsor this class is offered for free!  Register HERE

  • Sistahs Who Breastfeed- New Mamas Group  (1 hour 30 minutes)Thursday, August 27th, 2026 at 11:30 AM EDT. This group is for Black mamas that are breastfeeding/chestfeeding a baby less than 6 months old. CLICK HERE to register.

  • Sistahs Who Breastfeed- OGs group (1 hour 30 minutes) Thursday, August 27th, 2026 at 5:30 PM EDT This group is for Black mamas breastfeeding/chestfeeding a baby that is 6 months or older, CLICK HERE to register.

Details coming soon!