Kathi Barber recalls watching her mother's futile attempts to breast-feed her baby sister in 1984. "It lasted two days," Barber said. "For her, it was so painful and she didn't know how to do it. And this was an educated woman."

When Barber, of Joppa, Md., had her first born, Amyhr, 13 years later, she had no qualms about breast-feeding him until he reached the age of two. Barber was driven by research showing that human milk is an ideal food for infants because it contains anti-bodies which protect against infection during the postpartum period. Breast milk is less expensive than formula feeding, and it helps new moms to quickly burn calories and lose weight gained during pregnancy, as well as helping them to bond with their newborns.

"When I was pregnant with [son Amyr], I just knew I would do it, Barber said. "I initially had a little trouble, but nothing major." Barber was, however, troubled by the lack of breastfeeding among her friends and peers. Her concern prompted her to form the African-American Breastfeeding Alliance to educate black women and their families about breast-feeding and provide them with support and resources.

The alliance, which was created in 2000, also promotes human lactation or breast milk, as the primary preventative measure to achieve health equity among African-American women