Lisset Perez

Objective Despite national and international recommendations for exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months of age, 44% of infants receive no breastmilk at this important milestone, imposing a significant cost on the US economy vis a vis elevated cardiovascular, infectious, and metabolic disease burden for the mother and infant. However, interventions to increase breastfeeding also come with individual costs that may disproportionately impact parent-infant dyads with lower incomes.

As a Marquette University junior and Sigma Lambda Gamma sister, some of the greatest moments I’ve shared with my sorority sisters have been on the front lines of justice. This year I’ve walked alongside them at Black Lives Matter marches, grieving with our Black neighbors and protesting police brutality. My sisters and I have also participated in volunteer voter advocacy with a local organization, texting and calling friends and family, empowering them with the tools to vote.