Nursing moms stage protest to support woman who was forced off bus
Even as a teenager, Natosha Irwin recognized the benefits of breastfeeding.
No one in her family had ever breastfed, but when she had her son at age 17, Irwin knew she would.
“I knew it was good for the baby,” said Irwin, 31, of Warren. “I make milk. I don’t feel I need to give him any other kind of milk.”
Irwin, who now also has a 1-year-old son, was one of about 40 nursing mothers who gathered to lend their support to a Taylor woman who says she was kicked off a bus last week for nursing her 2-week old baby.
The nurse-in, staged by the Black Mothers Breast Feeding Association, took place Friday morning outside of a SMART bus terminal in Troy.
The women posted signs that read “Boobies for Babies,” “Breast Feeding is not a Crime” and “Human Milk 4 Human Babies.”
When the babies cried, the mothers fed them.
“Breasts are for feeding,” said Sarah Holley of Clinton Township as she prepared to nurse her 10-month-old son, Major. “It’s the main function. We’re mammals.”
Kiddada Green, founder of the breast-feeding association, said: “We’re here to let the world know it’s completely proper to nurse your child. SMART should make sure their employees are aware of their policies.”
Afrykayn Moon, 32, of Taylor said she was first told to cover herself while nursing the baby. After Moon refused, the driver told her to get off the bus. Moon again refused.
“The only way she knew I was nursing was because she saw the baby latched to my chest,” said Moon, a personal trainer and mom of two. “I was covered up.”
Moon says the female driver harassed her, making the trip uncomfortable. Moon eventually left the bus and called a relative to pick her up.
SMART officials did not return calls seeking comment. The company didn’t address the crowd Friday morning, but it provided a bus to serve as a cooling station during the nurse-in.
Moon’s story has brought breastfeeding and the stigmas surrounding it into the national spotlight. Her story has been featured on blogs and news sites around the country.
Michigan law protects nursing mothers from indecency charges. State legislators are planning to introduce bills that will further protect the moms.
“I wasn’t trying to call attention to myself. I wasn’t trying to bring on a revolution,” Moon said. “All I wanted to do was feed my baby.”
Among her peers, Moon has been dubbed a hero.
“She’s a rock star,” Claire Srock of Farmington Hills said of Moon. “She’s like the Rosa Parks of breastfeeding.”
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