History
History
Established in December 2021, the Collaborative is a joint workgroup made up of AANHPI lactation professionals, public health workers, students, and retired lactation professionals from California.
The group evolved from a joint effort between the Asian Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force (APIBTF) of Los Angeles and the Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander Task Force (ASAP!) of Alameda County to apply for a grant. Despite not receiving funding, our group was able to begin the AANHPI national landscape analysis we originally proposed on the grant application with the support of three student interns and two individuals with decades of experience working towards equity in the AANHPI lactation field.
Our Collaborative fosters connections between AANHPI individuals, groups, and organizations who provide lactation education and support. We are a North-South statewide partnership that also conducts outreach to other AANHPI groups, and to mainstream state and national organizations.
We place a high priority on mentoring AANHPI students and young professionals, including supporting those who wish to become IBCLCs. Our Collaborative recognizes that there may be additional barriers to building capacity within our communities, and we believe in providing additional support and uplifting our emerging leaders in the AANHPI lactation and public health fields.
We strongly believe that our successes are a result of our strong roots in the AANHPI community. Our Collaborative is unique in that our efforts are completely organized and driven by AANHPI community members with support from allies within the lactation field. While one member may take the lead on a specific project, our group norm is to include input from everyone in the group. We strive to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.