FICA is a community initiative dedicated to increasing the number of lactation professionals of color to increase breastfeeding rates while reducing infant mortality rates in underrepresented Black and Brown communities. 

Breastfeeding disparities among Black and Brown families persist due to many systemic factors such as lack of culturally sensitive support, access to adequate health care and hospitals, poor and discriminant hospital policies and practices such as predatory marketing of breast milk to new mothers and insufficient local state and national policies that address social determinants of health that impact breastfeeding rates.

Currently, less than 2% percent of the IBCLCs in the US identify as Black and FICA aims to increase those numbers by encouraging candidates to consider the field of lactation. We support those in training by connecting them with educational and professional development opportunities through continuing education, lactation lectures and conferences, career opportunities, professional development webinars and more.