Today, we participated in a Nurse in at the portland airport. Yep, you heard it right folks, a nurse in. About 40 mothers gathered at the portland airport (and many airports across the country) to bring attention to the plight of Emily Gillette who was kicked off a plane for breastfeeding her child. Yes, you heard it right folks, a woman was removed from a plane for feeding her child. (http://reluctantlactivist.blogspot.com/ Read here for more info on the travesty of it all!) It was Ruby's first protest, and my first in a long time (or at least it feels like it's been a long time!)
We all gathered in front of the Delta ticket counter ( freedom air is a subsidiary of Delta) and peacfully nursed our babes, and made our point. Breastfeeding is not offensive, or disgusting... It's lunch people. LUNCH (and breakfast, and second breakfast.....etc). Babies eat. Most of them should eat from the breast ( in a perfect world, they all would, but it's not a perfect world is it?). Breasts are for babies! haven't we covered this already?
All the local news stations were there.... and we were on TV! well.. my shirt and the back of Ruby's head were on TV... along with many women I know speaking out for the cause. (http://www.katu.com/news/4711201.html I'm in the brown shirt with snaps right before a woman in a blue sleeved shirt talks. ) I didn't get a chance to watch the other local stations, but apparently we were on there too!
((sorry about the crappy quality of the photos - they were taken on my camera phone!))
As my mom says.... I was brought up right. We learned to protest early, and to stand up for what we believed in. Ruby will be brought up right also. (well really really really left, but you know what I mean)
8 comments:
And is breastfeeding also elevensies? Silly hobbit babies! Anyway, rock on Lactivist Mamas! I wish there'd been a Delta counter at Naha International...
Awesome. Go Ruby!
I wondered, when I saw that story, if perhaps the discrimination may have been worse because the child was not an infant. It seems to me sometimes that the sort of people who get freaked by breastfeeding will accept it for an infant but aren't so understanding when a child is walking and still nursing. Not being a mother myself, this is just my observation and may be inaccurate. But when a friend of mine continued to nurse her daughter after the daughter had begun to speak, and after a second baby had been born, people began to talk. Like there's some sort of age cutoff for nutritious food, when that food is still freely available. Feh.
good for you! if i were still nursing a wee babe, i would have joined a protest, too.
i once flew with my 5-month-old son. we were sitting in the second row at the front of the plane and the baby was screaming for food and was not going to wait. i nursed him as the plane boarded and 50 people filed past me. we were the first thing they saw as they stepped aboard.
at first i was uncomfortable being so visible, but what can you do? it was funny to see people's reactions. women with children didn't bat an eye. men looked away, visibly disturbed. little old ladies smiled with that special "i remember when..." smile they save for little babies. interesting social experiment.
you go girls!! You were right- Mom taught us well. Amelia's first protest was at a circus protesting animal abuse- then on and on ect... pass the tradition down to the new generation!!
Auntie Keli
you go girls!! You were right- Mom taught us well. Amelia's first protest was at a circus protesting animal abuse- then on and on ect... pass the tradition down to the new generation!!
Auntie Keli
ruby is famooooooooose!
where'd the ads go? i was all ready for some clicky clicky!
thanks. We fly home on Delta. Hopefully point will be made.
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