Brooklyn, NY
Year 14 · August 25–31, 20262026 Theme
"We All We Got."
A national movement centering community support, collective care, and the people who help Black families succeed.
For 14 years, Black Breastfeeding Week has been powered by community. In 2026 we are documenting, celebrating, and honoring the people who made this movement possible — while building toward our 15-Year Celebration in 2027.
About Black Breastfeeding Week
Black Breastfeeding Week is the only national campaign that centers breastfeeding as a critical strategy for improving Black maternal and infant health. The awareness effort was created in 2013 by three national breastfeeding advocates in response to the gaping racial disparities in breastfeeding rates that have persisted for over 40 years, despite the proven benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies.
Since then, BBW has been celebrated throughout the nation with over 900 community events, 12+ million social media impressions, and countless community grants and product donations — with features in nationally syndicated outlets including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Harper's Bazaar, Healthline, Ebony Magazine, and The Huffington Post.
2026 marks Year 14 — a bridge year that builds excitement, storytelling, sponsorships, and community engagement leading into our 15-Year Celebration in 2027.
Why It Matters
2.3×
Black infants die at more than twice the rate of white infants in the U.S.
Lowest
Black women have the lowest breastfeeding initiation rates of any group in the country.
14 Yrs
BBW is the only national awareness week centering Black families and infant feeding equity.
2026 Signature Activations
Four ways community shows up.
Sponsorship in 2026 powers four national activations — on the ground, in our hands, across our feeds, and in the next generation of Black lactation professionals.
On the Ground
Irth's National Milk Crawl
6 cities. Community-led stroller walks, local providers, and family engagement coast to coast.
In Our Hands
The We All We Got Community Quilt
A national art and storytelling project preserving Black breastfeeding history — unveiled at our 2027 15-Year Celebration.
Across Our Feeds
Who Got You? Social Campaign
A 7-day storytelling campaign honoring every person who shows up for Black families.
In the Next Generation
Lactation Scholarships
An ongoing BBW program funding more Black women pursuing advanced lactation credentials — CLC and IBCLC.
Signature Activation · 01
Irth's National Milk Crawl
6 cities. One movement. Community-led stroller walks hosted by Irth in partnership with BBW — connecting Black families with local lactation providers, doulas, midwives, and community organizations through visible, joyful, on-the-ground gatherings.
- · Community visibility & family engagement
- · Local provider participation
- · Stroller walks & storytelling stations
- · Product sampling opportunities
- · Social media reach across 6 markets
- · Quilt collection station in every city
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Memphis, TN
- Minneapolis, MN
- New Orleans, LA
National sponsors ($10K+) appear on signage, swag, and digital assets in all 6 cities.
Community Partner
Sponsor a Single City — $1,500
Pick one Milk Crawl city and own the local moment. Ideal for community businesses, local providers, and regional brands.
- ●Exclusive logo placement at one chosen Milk Crawl city
- ●Recognition at the local quilt collection station in that city
- ●Social media shoutout from BBW + Irth tagged to your brand
- ●Inclusion in the city's post-event recap
Signature Activation · 02 · Centerpiece
The We All We Got Community Quilt Project
A national community art and storytelling project collecting breastfeeding stories and artifacts from Black families across the country — preserved, stitched together, and unveiled at our 15-Year Celebration in 2027.
What goes in a square
Participants receive branded BBW quilt squares at Milk Crawl cities and through community partners. They're invited to contribute the artifacts of their breastfeeding journey:
- · Photos
- · Handwritten stories
- · Messages of support
- · Fabric pieces
- · Nursing bra clips
- · Hospital bracelet copies
- · Meaningful objects
- · Original artwork
Each square becomes a stitch in our collective history. Sponsors help preserve Black breastfeeding stories — the ones that don't make it into textbooks or hospital records.
Quilt Sponsorship Recognition
- Legacy SponsorLogo on every quilt square distributed nationally · "Presented by" designation · Permanent recognition at the 2027 installation
- ChangemakerLogo on quilt project materials · Recognition in project documentation
- ChampionRecognition on the project webpage
- Community PartnerRecognition at local quilt collection events in your sponsored city
Unveiling
Large-scale installation · BBW 15-Year Celebration · 2027
Signature Activation · 03
"Who Got You?" — A 7-Day Storytelling Campaign
Seven days. Seven sources of support. One viral movement honoring the people who help Black families succeed. Participants share user-generated stories, photos, and tributes — naming the person who showed up for them each day of the week.
- Day 1The Lactation Consultant Who Got Me
- Day 2The Mama, Auntie & Friend Who Got Me
- Day 3The Partner Who Got Me
- Day 4The Provider Who Got Me (Nurse, PT, Doctor & More)
- Day 5The Community Organization Who Got Me
- Day 6The Product Who Got Me
- Day 7We All We Got — 2027 Fundraiser Day
What sponsors support
- · Daily content production across BBW + Irth channels
- · Story amplification and paid social boosting
- · User-generated storytelling toolkit
- · Community recognition graphics & shareables
- · Branded daily-theme integration (Changemaker+)
- · Lead recognition across all 7 days (Legacy)
Signature Activation · 04 · Ongoing
BBW Lactation Scholarships
Every year, BBW awards lactation scholarships to support more Black women pursuing advanced lactation credentials as CLCs (Certified Lactation Counselors) and IBCLCs (International Board Certified Lactation Consultants) — closing the workforce gap that drives Black breastfeeding disparities.
Scholarships are included in our Legacy, Changemaker, and Champion sponsorship tiers and named in the sponsor's brand — promoted and announced across BBW social.
Sponsor a Single Scholarship
Not ready for a full sponsorship tier? Fund a single named lactation scholarship as a stand-alone donation.
- $500 — Named scholarship + social announcement
- $250 — Named scholarship + social mention
Sponsorship Tiers
Invest in community. Build toward 2027.
Every tier supports all four activations — the Milk Crawl, the Community Quilt, the Who Got You? campaign, and BBW Lactation Scholarships. Pick the level of presence that matches your impact goals.
Presenting · National
Legacy Sponsor
$20,000
- ●Presenting Sponsor of Irth's National Milk Crawl (all 6 cities)
- ●Logo featured on BBW 2026 theme t-shirts & hats distributed at all Milk Crawls and via BBW social media giveaways
- ●Logo on every We All We Got Community Quilt square distributed nationally
- ●"Presented by [Brand]" designation on the Community Quilt Project
- ●Lead recognition across the Who Got You? 7-day social campaign
- ●Speaking opportunity in the virtual BBW 2026 kickoff
- ●Private IG Live conversation with co-founder & author Kimberly Seals Allers
- ●$1,000 lactation scholarship awarded in your brand's name, promoted & announced on social media
- ●Premium digital visibility across BBW + Irth channels year-round
- ●Permanent recognition at the 2027 15-Year Quilt installation
- ●Co-branded national press release
National presence
Changemaker
$10,000
- ●Featured sponsor in all 6 Milk Crawl cities (signage, swag, digital)
- ●Logo featured on BBW 2026 theme t-shirts & hats distributed at all Milk Crawls and via BBW social media giveaways
- ●Quilt Project sponsor recognition on materials and documentation
- ●Branded segment in the Who Got You? 7-day social campaign
- ●$500 lactation scholarship awarded in your brand's name, promoted & announced on social media
- ●Logo on BBW national digital assets
- ●Featured Q&A in BBW newsletter or guest segment on BBW social
- ●Named mention in BBW national press release
Multi-city + Quilt
Champion
$5,000
- ●Logo placement in 3 Milk Crawl cities of your choice
- ●$250 lactation scholarship awarded in your brand's name, promoted & announced on social media
- ●Quilt Project recognition on the project webpage
- ●Inclusion in BBW digital toolkit
- ●Social shoutout during the Who Got You? campaign
One-city Milk Crawl
Community Partner
$1,500
- ●Sponsor one Milk Crawl city of your choice
- ●Recognition at the local quilt collection event in that city
- ●Recognition in local event materials
- ●Social media shoutout from BBW + Irth
A Sister Movement
The Restoration Project
The Restoration Project (TRP) is a sister initiative to Black Breastfeeding Week, founded by BBW co-founder Kimberly Seals Allers in partnership with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). TRP is the first-ever national safety net for infant feeding in the face of maternal mortality. It is a national care network of 15 nonprofit milk banks that guarantees at least seven days of donor milk to infants who lose their mothers to childbirth-related causes, and operates the first-ever nationwide ounce-for-ounce milk donation network. Together, BBW and TRP ensure that all forms of infant feeding — at the breast, at the chest, by bottle, and by donor milk — are honored and supported, especially in the communities hit hardest by the U.S. maternal mortality crisis.
About the Organization
A Volunteer-Led Movement
Black Breastfeeding Week is a volunteer-led effort, driven by community organizers, lactation professionals, and advocates across the country who give their time and expertise to advance infant feeding equity.
BBW is fiscally sponsored by Narrative Nation Inc, a New York City–based technology and media nonprofit. EIN 82-3760872.
Our Founders
The Co-Founders
Black Breastfeeding Week was created in 2013 by three national breastfeeding advocates committed to closing the racial gap in breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Kimberly Seals Allers
Founder, IRTH, Author & Maternal Health Strategist
Award-winning journalist, five-time author, and executive director of Narrative Nation — the only Black woman-led technology nonprofit creating narrative-centered digital products to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health. A former senior editor at ESSENCE and writer at FORTUNE, Kimberly is the founder of the award-winning digital platform Irth — the first-of-its-kind Yelp-like platform for Black birth, where parents of color leave reviews of OB/GYNs, hospitals, and pediatricians that are turned into data used to create quality improvement programs in hospitals while driving greater accountability and transparency. She is also host of the award-winning Birthright podcast and author of the bestselling book The Big Let Down — How Medicine, Big Business and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding (St. Martin's Press).
Learn more at irthapp.org →
Kiddada Green
Founding Executive Director, BMBFA
Founding executive director of Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) and co-founder of Black Breastfeeding Week. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a Master's in the Art of Teaching from Oakland University. She is also a devoted wife, mother, and educator.
Learn more at blackmothersbreastfeeding.org →
Anayah Ayoka
Nurse-Midwife & Culture Worker
A graduate of Yale University and Vassar College, Anayah is a nurse-midwife and innovative culture worker leveraging digital media to impact health and parenting. She is co-editor of Free to Breastfeed: Voices from Black Mothers (Praeclarus Press).
In Partnership With
Let's build this bridge year together.
Share a few details and our partnerships team will follow up within 2 business days.
Prefer email? Write us at ksa@irthapp.com