Acquanda Stanford

I am a Black feminist anthropologist, doula, and Certified Lactation Educator (CLE). my research interest is in understanding the the reasons for the disparities in Black and African American breastfeeding, and helping to eliminate these to work towards more transgenerational justice. Breastfeeding is a biological site that serves as a gateway to explore the greater complexities around this tradition. These complexities include the role of history, culture, social dominance, whiteness, white supremacy, race and racism, intra-racial conflicts, body politics and more. I am interested in conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Mississippi, USA, which currently has the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country. I believe Mississippi has some of what I believe to be the richest history of Black people in the United States, in terms of both radical oppression of the people and radical resistance by the people, many who voluntarily and involuntarily gave their lives and became involved in many other areas in the quest for social justice. I am interested in discovering links.