The Comedic Legend of the Black Breastfeeding Champion in Chicago Who Had an AFRICAN ROAR

"You can never, ever, ever be excellent and comfortable. Excellence and comfort do not equate. If you think [that by] being comfortable, excellence is  gonna come... Honey, I'm telling you, you'll never be great."  
​~ Rebecca Jackson-Artis, MFA

This conversation is a long time coming, but with the commencement of Black Breastfeeding Week during this last week of August, I thought it a perfect time to introduce people to one of the greatest influences I ever had in the area of lactation. There are few who have made the impact that Rebecca Jackson-Artis did in lactation in the Chicago area while she was involved in birth culture. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anyone involved in birth in Chicagoland during the beginning of this decade who did not know her or was not influenced by her work or her words.

I mentioned her words for a reason. Anyone who knows Rebecca knows that she has never been one to mince her words. In other words, "She said what she said..." Rebecca has always taken a no non-sense approach to anything she does. Expect extreme candidness throughout this interview. She is also a comedian, so if you are easily offended by words or context, brace yourself.

Before Rebecca moved to North Carolina five years ago, she served as a lactation activist, sat on boards and advocated for Black families who desired to teach their children based on African principles. During my recorded conversation with her, we talked about the changes that are manifesting in the Chicago area that seemed so far out of reach a half decade ago. Since the beginning of 2019, Black birth workers have begun to offer workshops centered around Black women, marched in the Bud Billiken Parade to highlight Black breastfeeding and hosted the 1st Annual Black Breastfeeding Cookout to introduce the Black community in Chicago to Black birth workers and kick off Black Breastfeeding Week 2019. At each event I have attended, I have thought to myself: "Rebecca would LOVE this!" The seeds she planted all over Chicagoland are not only growing, but they are blooming flowers.

In many ways, Rebecca's influence seemed to be ahead of its time in the Chicago area. And while her influence in birth culture was dynamic, it was short lived. She has returned to her first love - FILM and THE STAGE, though few who have experienced Rebecca's passion in the birth world would ever believe that lactation was not her first love.

Through Sankofa Birth Ambassador Workshops, I encounter women who find themselves drawn to birth work from different professions. I am excited to share a portion of Rebecca's story because I believe it will demonstrate to others the diversity of Black women who are coming to this work. I hope it serves as a reminder that Black women should see NO LIMITS to the ways that they can be a part of birth culture. Rebecca is a wonderful example of how we can use our diverse gifts and talents to save ourselves.

One of the first pictures I ever saw of Rebecca on Facebook

In 2015, Rebecca captioned this photo: "In honor of World Breastfeeding Week..."

Socks I crafted for Rebecca with breastfeeding positions before she moved to North Carolina 5 years ago.

​Disclaimer:
Rebecca discusses various aspects of her life and experiences with much candor. Please read the topics that will be discussed. These interviews are not censored or edited.

Topics discussed:

• ​Working as a pregnant comedian
• Country vs. Bougie
• Being influenced by a holistic grandmother
• Inspiration to birth at home
• Remembering the 90s and honoring the power of the womb
• Making the decision to have a midwife, homebirth and breastfeed
• The function of education
• Growing up hating one’s Blackness
• Learning that BLACK = EXCELLENCE at an HBCU
• Advocating for oneself in the hospital
• Birth experiences
• Dealing with the aversion to pain
• Dealing with being uncomfortable
• “Testing” being a part of life
• Making the decision to birth at home
• Birthing at home
• Mindful perceptions about birth and womanhood 
• Breastfeeding after molestation
• The healing power of breastfeeding
• Psychoanalyzing personal challenges
• Returning to the stage and screen​

Rebecca offers this gratitude:
​
My great-grandmother Lue Kelly-Johnson, my grandmother Verna Johnson Turner, my mother Antoinette Rogers Jackson, my doula Isabelle Flegel, my midwives Kathleen Harmon and Sarah Simmons, TLC's A Baby Story and Birth Center, Dr. Alan Colon, PhD, and the African-centered community of women and men who honor the womb.   

Deirdre (asé), Saaudiah, and me after we completed Rebecca's breastfeeding class.

Rebecca and I at a conference 2014 where she was speaking and advocating for Black women and breastfeeding

Listen to the Podcast:

Connect with Rebecca and learn about her newest endeavors:

Email: rebeccajacksonartis@gmail.com
Website: www.rebeccajacksonartis.com
Twitter: @rebeccajackart
Instagram: @rebejackart 
LinkedIn:  Rebecca Jackson-Artis 
YouTube: Rebecca Jackson-Artis
Facebook: Black Becky Speaks  
Facebook: Totally Becky 
Facebook: The Rebecca Show