A Black wet nurse living in 1912, Georgia once described living a "treadmill life" where she rarely saw her own children. Her duties were to her enslaver’s children in an evil cycle designed to keep Black mothers away from their children.
During enslavement, Black mothers were forced to be wet nurses, breastfeeding the enslaver's children but not their own. What seemed like simple servitude, however, was far more sinister.
Wet nursing was often practiced as a means of limiting the birth rate among enslaved women. The phrase "an heir and a spare" was popular among wealthy white families. They had as many children as they could, then relegated the duties of nursing to Black mothers, who had to give not only their labor, time, and attention to white babies, but also their own breast milk.
Many enslaved babies died because of this manufactured neglect. Instead of being breastfed by their mothers, enslaved babies were fed an unhealthy concoction of water and cow's milk. All of this death while the enslaver's children were well fed and taken care of.
We deserve to raise our children and let them exist in joy without the pain and separation induced by white supremacy. Working together can create a safe environment to raise the next generation today.