College Grad Slammed For Breastfeeding At Graduation.What Is Her Crime?
A friend asked if she could take a photo, and Sharlesha eventually posted the image in the comments of a facebook fanpage, but it wasn’t until the photo was reposted on Black Women Do Breastfeed Facebook page, that it went viral and the backlash began.
When she was asked by the admin of the Facebook group if she wanted the photo removed due to the large amount of criticism, Karlesha told them ‘No’:
I found out I was pregnant my last semester of college, had my daughter one week into my last semester, she was my motivation to keep going, so me receiving my BA was OUR moment, so glad I captured the moment and so glad you shared it with the world so thank you again.
She also told Today.com:
I honestly thought that as a society, people were more understanding to breast-feeding and understood the importance of breast-feeding. It’s not disgusting, it’s not a bad thing, it’s not a negative thing. It’s the best thing for my daughter. More people should do it.
I did it to show it’s natural, it’s normal, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Thurman said. “I didn’t even know there was a big controversy about breast-feeding in public until all of this happened.
She also added:
I love looking down at my daughter and knowing I have what she needs to grow and that I’m the one that’s nurturing her. The connection that you have when you’re breastfeeding your child, it’s unexplainable.
Although Karlesha has received rude comments such as, “Nobody told her to hoe around in 3rd period She should’ve been doing her work & maybe she wouldn’t be breastfeeding during her graduation,” she has received a ton of support as well. Over at The Guardian, in an article titled ‘Attacks on breastfeeding mothers speak to a far bigger online problem,’ the writer addressed the issue of woman-shaming on the web, and if it would discourage more new moms from breastfeeding:
While I accept that most people don’t suffer serious abuse for breastfeeding, there are strong arguments for why stories like Thurman’s shouldn’t be brushed aside. As Marcia Lord, vice-chair of Doula UK, explains: “If we tolerate this we are perpetuating the myth that women using their breasts for something other than the male gaze is somehow disgusting. Women are increasingly looking for their breastfeeding support online but often come across stigma and condemnation instead. [...]
The shaming and abuse of women on and offline, the ridiculing of their choices, the commentary on their bodies and the infringement of their basic human rights is, of course, a much bigger problem. That breastfeeding mothers, simply going about their daily business with a hungry infant in tow, can be at the sharp end of this is indicative of the scale of this wider issue.
The backlash and debate comes at a time where black women have the lowest rate of breastfeeding among all women.
On the positive side of things, congrats to Sharlesha for not allowing her pregnancy to put a delay in her getting her accounting degree!
When she was asked by the admin of the Facebook group if she wanted the photo removed due to the large amount of criticism, Karlesha told them ‘No’:
I found out I was pregnant my last semester of college, had my daughter one week into my last semester, she was my motivation to keep going, so me receiving my BA was OUR moment, so glad I captured the moment and so glad you shared it with the world so thank you again.
She also told Today.com:
I honestly thought that as a society, people were more understanding to breast-feeding and understood the importance of breast-feeding. It’s not disgusting, it’s not a bad thing, it’s not a negative thing. It’s the best thing for my daughter. More people should do it.
I did it to show it’s natural, it’s normal, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Thurman said. “I didn’t even know there was a big controversy about breast-feeding in public until all of this happened.
She also added:
I love looking down at my daughter and knowing I have what she needs to grow and that I’m the one that’s nurturing her. The connection that you have when you’re breastfeeding your child, it’s unexplainable.
Although Karlesha has received rude comments such as, “Nobody told her to hoe around in 3rd period She should’ve been doing her work & maybe she wouldn’t be breastfeeding during her graduation,” she has received a ton of support as well. Over at The Guardian, in an article titled ‘Attacks on breastfeeding mothers speak to a far bigger online problem,’ the writer addressed the issue of woman-shaming on the web, and if it would discourage more new moms from breastfeeding:
While I accept that most people don’t suffer serious abuse for breastfeeding, there are strong arguments for why stories like Thurman’s shouldn’t be brushed aside. As Marcia Lord, vice-chair of Doula UK, explains: “If we tolerate this we are perpetuating the myth that women using their breasts for something other than the male gaze is somehow disgusting. Women are increasingly looking for their breastfeeding support online but often come across stigma and condemnation instead. [...]
The shaming and abuse of women on and offline, the ridiculing of their choices, the commentary on their bodies and the infringement of their basic human rights is, of course, a much bigger problem. That breastfeeding mothers, simply going about their daily business with a hungry infant in tow, can be at the sharp end of this is indicative of the scale of this wider issue.
The backlash and debate comes at a time where black women have the lowest rate of breastfeeding among all women.
On the positive side of things, congrats to Sharlesha for not allowing her pregnancy to put a delay in her getting her accounting degree!
What are your thoughts on the photo?
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