Black women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, and the situation in Illinois is even worse than the national average.

Meanwhile, black women and babies have the poorest breastfeeding initiation rates when compared with American women of other races.

Sunday marked the start of Black Breastfeeding Week, a national push to introduce breastfeeding to more black families.

Here in Chicago, organizers held a Back Breastfeeding Cookout in the Dan Ryan Woods on the South Side to kick things off.

Morning Shift talks with two of the organizers. 

GUESTS: Tayo Mbande, doula and co-founder of the Chicago Birthworks Collective

Nicole Miles, certified lactation counselor and member of the Chicago Birthworks Collective