I am a proud Chocolate Milk Café Facilitator. But what is “Chocolate Milk Café” and is there such a thing as chocolate milk?? Absolutely (metaphorically LOL) YES! If you have Black breasts/chests, then your babies are getting that chocolate milk! Mama Hakima, our founder, saw that Black women needed a supportive safe space that uplifts and celebrates Black culture, experiences, kinship and community. Chocolate Milk Café National, Inc. offers peer-to-peer lactation support for moms, dads and parents of the African diaspora who have a desire to give their children human milk. We can be ourselves and not feel the need to conform to mainstream “white” society during our time together. It is so exciting to see Black folks encouraged to breastfeed/chestfeed/bodyfeed/human milk feed openly, while feeling fully supported and nurtured. I wished I had this support when I was still breastfeeding! It isn’t just about the milk either; we delve into topics related to motherhood and parenthood, mental health challenges such as postpartum depression and anxiety, neurodivergence, work challenges, family dynamics and self-care. The community that we’re building is so special to me 🙂
Chocolate Milk Café’s Mission, Vision and Core Values
Our mission is to make sure that we, as families of the African Diaspora, receive lactation and infant feeding support to reclaim human milk as the first food of Black communities everywhere, starting with the United States.
Our vision is to exist in a world that allows Black people to connect with each other in sacred spaces; where the legacy of nourishing our babies has been restored, cherished and shared among us and with future generations. This requires that breastfeeding, chestfeeding, bodyfeeding, and the expression of human milk in the Black community will have been normalized.
- Human milk feeding is normal in the Black community, as in any human community.
- Parents, families, and anyone raising children should be able to feel empowered to feed (or nurse) their children out in the world however they choose to do so.
- Representation matters. This is why we celebrate and center our Black experiences, provide services for and by those of us who are part of the African Diaspora, and honor each other as members of the African Diaspora.
- Informed consent is fundamental to showing respect for each other and ending cycles of violence that disproportionately affect our communities. For this reason, we honor bodily autonomy for all humans by disclosing our intentions when seeking permission to act; not assuming consent is granted; working to minimize retaliation, fear, or shame associated with communicating needs, limits, and preferences; and recognizing that we may make different decisions than others because of our different experiences, resources, abilities, and needs, and other factors others may not be aware of.
Chocolate Milk Café Certified Facilitators
We are volunteers! And we love connecting with our community.
- A person of the African Diaspora who is an advocate for human milk consumption or a lactating person
- Reflects and is part of the community they will be serving
- Share Chocolate Milk Café National, Inc’s mission
- Help guide the group discussions and navigate the flow of meetings
- Completes our 16-20 hour certification, and adheres to any additional professional development trainings within the organization
- Acts as a local ambassador to the national organization
Lactation Support Groups
Each location provides a monthly 90-minute support group where families can share their lactation experiences and receive peer centered support in a group setting. Meetings are open to families of the African Diaspora that are wanting to provide human milk to their babies or are currently providing human milk to their babies.
![Group of Black women some sitting and some standing, most are holding babies and smiling.](https://janiceclarkelc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_6865-CMC-1024x768.jpeg)
Chocolate Milk Café Programs
Carrier Community Support
4th Sunday of each month – 12pm pacific| 1pm mountain| 2pm pacific| 3pm eastern
Support for families of the African diaspora in need of assistance in carrying their children and learning how to feed and care for them in the process. $5 donation.
You may register at Chocolate Milk Café Get Carried Away.
S.P.L.A.S.H. Course
Shifting Perspective on Lactation Awareness and Support for Human milk
Our S.P.L.A.S.H Course is an introductory course, led by Certified Chocolate Milk Café Facilitators & Blactavists for families of the African Diaspora that are interested in learning reasons why human milk is the best milk for babies. We seek to introduce families to the benefits of human milk for the lactating person and baby and ways to plan out support for 12 weeks after birth. This one-hour lactation introduction is $25/pair to attend. You may register for the next session at S.P.L.A.S.H. course.
Milk Life Course
Our Milk Life Course is a more extensive course for expecting families to prepare them for lactation prenatally. This three-hour in-depth Lactation course is meant to dispel the myths Black families have about providing human milk to their babies and replace them with evidence based information. We have the objective of having families leave the course with confidence that they can provide their milk to their babies and have resources to look to if issues arise. This three-hour in-depth course costs $75/pair. You may register for the upcoming session here.
Chocolate Milk Café Harlem/Bronx Chapter
So, if you’re Black, pregnant, planning to lactate, currently nursing a baby, pumping, or advocate for lactation rights, come and check out my chapter! You can check out any other chapter as well, it doesn’t matter where you live although each chapter will provide resources specific to their geographic region. At the Harlem/Bronx chapter, we meet virtually once a month on the first Saturday. You can register for the next meeting at Chocolate Milk Café Harlem/Bronx. We also accept donations! The funds help us create events, promotional material and subsidize the S.P.L.A.S.H. or Milk Life Course for our families. You can easily donate at Paypal.com.
If you have any questions for my chapter, please reach out to us at harlembronx@chocolatemilkcafe.org.
As always, if you are seeking direct lactation care,
you can schedule your consultation with me here.