Many thanks to Alex Elle for having me on her Hey Girl podcast, where we discuss business, our collaboration on Soft & Strong, racial injustice, divorce, and motherhood.  You can listen to the episode, titled Ashley on Soft & Strong, by clicking HERE. 

Many thanks to all who made purchases in August and allowed us the privilege of donating $500 to the Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association.  According to a government study, black women breastfeed babies at lower rates than white women. The data goes beyond choice, highlighting various reasons why this disparity exists.    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that from 2011 to 2015, the percentage of women who initiated breastfeeding was as follows:   81.5% white mothers 64.3% black mothers   As if this 17.2 point gap isn’t big enough, the gap widens with time; with even fewer...

This month is National Breastfeeding Week. Did you know that slaves were often used as wet nurses? Once a slave mother had a child, she was quickly assigned to a white mistress and forced to breastfeed her white baby instead of her own. Because they were consumed with feeding white babies, they often gave cow milk and dirty water as substitutes to their babies which resulted in high death rates of babies of slaves. Reluctant slaves were beaten and often milked like cows to feed white babies.    It was mandated by the slave owner that only one breast could be...

Many thanks to all who placed orders in July and allowed us to donate $500 to the National Birth Equity Collaborative.  Learn more about the NBEC by clicking HERE.

THE RATE OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN THE U.S. IS CLIMBING Measured in number of deaths per 100,000 live births 1987 - 7.2 deaths per 100,000 2019 - 17.4 deaths per 100,000 THE RATE IS MARKEDLY HIGHER AMONG BLACK WOMEN 42.8 deaths per 100,000 White women: 13 deaths per 100,000   “We cannot address the black maternal health crisis facing this country until we address racial disparities in healthcare. Black mothers across the country are facing a health crisis that is driven in part by implicit bias in our health care system. We must take action to address this issue, and we...

We are thrilled to have been part of a collective effort, via @_stillwerise, to raise $144K for the following organizations:   Equal Justice Initiative @eji_org M4BL @mvmnt4blklives The Bail Project @bailproject Black Lives Matter @blklivesmatter   Many thanks to Still We Rise for organizing, to the other shops who donated, and to all who bid. Together, we can do so much!