EBB 280 - Bringing Equity to Lactation Imagery with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and Founder of the Melanated Mammary Atlas®

On this episode of the EBB podcast, I talk with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and founder of The Melanated Mammary Atlas®, all about cultural humility and educating clinicians and birth workers about identifying and diagnosing conditions that present in Black and Brown breasts/chests.

 

Nekisha Killings, holds a master's in public health (MPH) and is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). She's an equity strategist and maternal and child health advocate who speaks, teaches and facilitates on topics related to equity and dismantling bias across various sectors. She is also a director of equity, inclusion, and belonging with the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association and consults with organizations on implementing creative strategies to better support marginalized communities. As a leader in the field, she wrote the chapter titled Cultural Humility in the latest core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care and continues to wow audiences with new realizations that positively impact their approach to business and life.

 

Nekisha shares how she's working to change the face of lactation education and bring equity, inclusion, diversity and most importantly training and education to clinicians and birth workers around the normalization of Black and Brown breasts/chests, as well as, identifying and diagnosing clinical conditions that present on melanated skin. Not only is Nekisha working to revolutionize how we understand many pathologies in lactation, she shares how she has been entrusted to carry forward in the production of the pivotal Breastfeeding Atlas and ensure that future clinicians and folks vested in the lactation dyad have access to accurate, complete, and inclusive information.

 

Content Warning: Discussion of birth/lactation trauma and lack of diversity and inclusion in lactation training.

 

Resources:

 

Follow The Melanated Mammary Atlas® on Instagram 

Follow Nekisha on Instagram 

 

Learn more and subscribe to The Melanated Mammary Atlas® here 

Learn more about Nekisha and her work here

 

Find The Breastfeeding Atlas here 

 

Learn about the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association 

Learn about Black Breastfeeding Week 

 

Listen to EBB episodes:

 

EBB 214 - Supporting Pumping Parents in Lactation with IBCLC, Nichelle Clark

EBB 211 - Supporting Expectant Families through Birth and Lactation with Birth Doula and EBB Program Team Assistant, Rikki Jenkins

EBB 189 - Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams

 

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