Black families "Step into the Booth" in celebration of Black Breastfeeding Week 2014

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Aug 19, 2014, 03:43 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Black Breastfeeding Week (August 25-31) is kicking off its second year with the launch of #BlackFamsRock, a unique social media experience designed to celebrate the power and beauty of black families and raise awareness about breastfeeding.

Black Breastfeeding Week (PRNewsFoto/W.K. Kellogg Foundation)

Created in partnership with Lowekey Media's SongBooth App, the #BlackFamsRock Experience invites families to upload a 30-second video of their family "rocking out" to their favorite family song, and then share it with their social networks, using the hash tag #BlackFamsRock. A fan favorite video will be highlighted every day during Black Breastfeeding Week.

"Breastfeeding is definitely social. We're asking families, including fathers, grandmothers, aunties and uncles, to 'step into the booth' and show support for breastfeeding in their communities," said Black Breastfeeding Week co-founder Kimberly Seals Allers. "Ensuring all communities have the opportunity to breastfeed is a matter of health equity, and has the power to transform the lives of moms and babies."

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the racial disparity in breastfeeding rates between black and white communities is very real, with only 58.9 percent of black women reporting to have ever breastfed their babies versus 75 percent of white women.

"We now know that increasing breastfeeding rates among black moms could decrease infant mortality rates by as much as 50 percent. This makes breastfeeding a health imperative, not just a life-style choice," said Allers, who is also the director of the First Food Friendly Community Initiative, a pilot project funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The #BlackFamsRock Experience will also feature a series of educational videos that encourage black families to learn about breastfeeding.

"We're delighted to support Black Breastfeeding Week in a way that brings family and music together," said Gregory Lowe, CEO of Lowekey Media, which also owns mobile properties MuMento, Zold and Trckle. "The #BlackFamsRock Experience keeps things fun, while getting black families to talk about breastfeeding."

About Black Breastfeeding Week:
August 25-31 is Black Breastfeeding Week, coinciding with National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. In its second year Black Breastfeeding Week celebrates black families—their beauty, power, and ability to support healthier babies and healthier moms with breastfeeding. In short, Black Families Rock! Black Breastfeeding Week founding committee members include author, journalist and nationally recognized breastfeeding advocate, Kimberly Seals Allers, founding director of the Detroit-based Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association, Kiddada Green, and co-founder of the Free to Breastfeed project and MomsRising.org Fellow Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka. Check out this year's line up of activities by visiting blackbreastfeedingweek.org

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SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation