Dear Reader, Some of my happiest moments were nursing my three children. As I looked down at their faces, their fingers tangled in my hair, I felt enormous peace and joy. I never took nursing my babies for granted, because of one story my grandmother told me about her enslaved great-grandmother, Leah Drumwright. Even her last name belonged to the plantation owner. Leah, who was caring for her own infant, was forced to nurse the baby of the White woman who owned her. And there was one strict rule. She could nurse her Black baby only on her right breast. Leah’s left breast was reserved for the White baby. The reason she was given was that the left breast is closer to the heart, making the milk healthier, and the best milk had to be given to the White infant. One evening, overwhelmed from exhaustion after cleaning and cooking for the plantation owners, Leah was caught in the kitchen feeding her own Black child on her own left breast. Seized with the power of privilege fueled by rage, the White mother smacked Leah hard across the face. She followed the slap with a “whipping,” according to my grandmother. This […]

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