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This article originally appeared in Women's E-News.

The scene plays out like a page from the Charles Dickens classic, "A Tale of Two Cities." In some communities in America there are breastfeeding cafes, weekly support groups, robust La Leche League meetings, a solid representation of international board certified lactation consultants in the area and mothers who nurse in public without nary a second glance.

In far too many other communities though, sadly mostly vulnerable ones, there is absolutely none of that. A breastfeeding support group is hard to find. The La Leche League is not active. Breastfeeding in public is never seen. Child care facilities have not been properly trained in handling human milk. In contrast to other communities, these places are virtual deserts of breastfeeding supports.

So when I show up in my usual roles of consultant on reducing the racial disparities in breastfeeding rates or as a breastfeeding advocate, asking these mostly black and brown women to please breastfeed their babies, how can I in good conscience encourage them to sign up for such an unfair proposition? Is it reasonable to expect a woman to breastfeed successfully with only her own sheer determination and...

All across America, in far too many communities, women leave their local hospital after giving birth only to enter a community that is a virtual desert of breastfeeding support: Limited access to lactation rooms in public places, inaccessible breastfeeding support groups and minimal social acceptance, to name a few barriers. Mothers in these areas struggle--even when determined--to give their babies the best first food possible. As a result their breastfeeding experience is compromised or cut short. Many of these same communities suffer from high infant mortality rates, poor infant health and high levels of childhood obesity--critical health risks proven to be reduced by breastfeeding. We can do better! Join the movement to ensure that all communities are first food friendly--a place where all mothers and babies thrive! SIGN OUR PETITION to change desert-like communities across the country into flourishing, first food friendly environments.

Our groundbreaking pilot project in New Orleans, LA, Jackson, MS, and Birmingham, AL found key characteristics for what a community needs to look like to better support any mother that chooses to breastfeed. We are asking the mayors and Congress members of these areas to step up for healthier babies. We need your help. Take action for these communities and others just like it all across America. We can transform the landscape for healthier babies one community at a time.

Originally published on Food Tank.

“Maybe I should have said to-may-toes instead of to-mah-toes,” laughed Stuffed and Starved author Raj Patel after he and a dozen other sustainable food advocates were rapidly escorted out of a Florida Publix grocery store. The group consisted of small farmers, chefs, journalists, and community organizers from around the U.S., convened to learn about the most recent developments in food worker sustainability. While there, they spoke with farmworkers, toured a 3,000 acre tomato farm, and learned how little sustainability means if it doesn’t also include a vision for the hands that bring America’s food to the table. 

Immokalee might not seem to be high on the list of sustainable food tourism, but the southwest Florida town is home to the migrant farmworker-led Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). With the support of allies across the nation, the CIW...

Originally published on the Huffington Post.

The calls for immigration reform by the Obama Administration and members of Congress differ largely in their emphasis. Opinions to the right emphasize border security and penalizing undocumented immigrants, while opinions to the left favor paths to citizenship and recognizing the economic benefits of immigration. Any reforms that emerge will likely have components of all of these things.

But I suspect that whatever happens with immigration policy, it will have little impact on the flow of immigrants working for little money and often in deplorable conditions in U.S. farm fields. Some components of our economy are simply too consequential for reform.

A delegation of food justice leaders will be headed down to Immokalee, Fla., this week to support the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and end the exploitation of workers in Florida's tomato fields. CIW has enjoyed remarkable success in gaining recognition for the rights of...